Liudui Hakka Flat Rice Noodles (Ban-tiau)

Liudui Hakka ban-tiau is a flat rice noodle dish made by steaming and slicing non-glutinous rice sheets, eaten daily in the Hakka communities of Neipu, Zhutian, and Wanluan in Pingtung, either in broth or stir-fried. In front of the earth god temple in Zhutian, a Hakka grandmother lifts a wide white noodle from a bamboo basket, dips it briefly in boiling water, and ladles on broth with dried shrimp and braised pork — or tosses it in a hot wok until fragrant — a flavor Liudui Hakka people have eaten all their lives.

Zhutian Township in Pingtung was selected by Taiwan's Tourism Bureau (Ministry of Transportation and Communications) as one of "Taiwan's Ten Hakka Villages" in 2019 — the only township in Pingtung County to receive the honor — followed by a Taiwan Town Brand Award silver medal in 2020 and membership in the Cittaslow international network in 2022. The name "Liudui" (Six Tuis) originates from 1721, during the Zhu Yigui Uprising, when Hakka communities on the Pingtung Plain organized six defensive militia units — front, rear, left, right, center, and vanguard — one of Taiwan's earliest Hakka defense organizations, spanning what are now twelve districts across Pingtung and Kaohsiung.

What is Liudui Hakka Ban-tiau

Ban-tiau (Hakka: Pán-tiâu) is a Hakka rice food made by grinding non-glutinous rice into a slurry, steaming it into a thin sheet, and cutting it into strips about 1.5 cm wide. The texture is soft with a springy bite and a clear rice fragrance. It is prepared two ways: soup ban-tiau uses a pork bone broth with garlic chives, bean sprouts, and dried shrimp braised pork; stir-fried ban-tiau is tossed over high heat with dried shrimp, shredded pork, garlic chives, and bean sprouts until fragrant and slightly charred at the edges. Common accompaniments include savory glutinous rice balls (with a savory filling, unlike the sweet kind), xia-gong-ban (Hakka rice cakes with shrimp), Hakka stir-fry, and ginger-stir-fried intestine.

Why Liudui? The 'Liudui' area straddling Pingtung and Kaohsiung is one of Taiwan's earliest Hakka communities, with Neipu, Zhutian, and Wanluan at its core — the most complete region for ban-tiau culture. In 2019, Zhutian Township was selected by the Tourism Bureau, MOTC as one of 'Taiwan's Ten Hakka Villages,' the only selection from Pingtung County, with ban-tiau as its culinary signature. Zhutian Bogong Noodle Shop and multiple old establishments in Neipu each excel at either the broth or the stir-fried version, forming a cluster category. Flavors vary slightly but all uphold the Hakka standard of freshly cut ban-tiau and freshly simmered broth.

How to eat it like a local

Local knowledge

Information compiled from the Pingtung County Government Tourism Bureau, Zhutian Township Office, Pingtung County Government Hakka Affairs Council, and large volumes of public reviews; sponsored content has been filtered out. Photos will be replaced with exclusive channel footage after Dio's on-site shoot.