When you are visiting Kenting, in addition to strolling along the beach, trying the local specialty foods is a must. There are many delicious things to eat here, but when it comes to must-try specialties, the first thing that comes to mind is the famous local dessert Green Bean Garlic.
Huh? Green beans with garlic? Can you eat that? Oh, don’t be mistaken. This dessert actually doesn’t contain any garlic, even if you see chinese character “suan – 蒜”, in its name (綠豆蒜).
It’s a sweet soup made with peeled green beans that have been steamed. The peeled green beans look like minced garlic, hence the name ‘Green Bean Garlic.’ It comes in both cold and hot versions.
Even today, many residents occasionally treat it as a regular meal. Later, it evolved into a dessert in local banquets. In modern times, it has become the most representative local snack, as it’s quite rare to see it elsewhere. Therefore, it has become a must-try snack for tourists visiting Kenting.
The ideal Green Bean Garlic dessert should have each green bean kernel floating in the soup, not sinking to the bottom. They should be intact but soft and melt in your mouth. It should have the aroma of fried sugar, be sweet but not so much that it overshadows the green bean flavor. A light thickening is enough; avoid making it as thick as phlegm. Adding longan is even better, not only showcasing the host’s wealth but also balancing the cool nature of the green beans.
Origins of Green Bean Garlic name
“The common explanation is: ‘Because after green beans are shelled and boiled, the kernels look similar to garlic that has been crushed with a kitchen knife, so it was named “Green Bean Garlic” (綠豆蒜).’
Although both appear whitish-yellow, crushed garlic has an irregular shape, while green bean kernels are uniformly oval. Garlic is a common fragrant ingredient used in stir-frying, but using it as a comparison for a sweet soup doesn’t seem appetizing!
Looking at Taiwanese vocabulary related to green bean dishes, there are green bean soup 綠豆湯 (li̍k-tāu-thng), green bean syrup 綠豆露 (li̍k-tāu-lōo), green bean porridge 綠豆糜 (li̍k-tāu-muâi), green bean paste 綠豆沙 (li̍k-tāu-sua), puffed green beans 綠豆膨 (li̍k-tāu-phòng), green bean cake 綠豆糕 (li̍k-tāu-ko), and green bean biscuit 綠豆餅 (li̍k-tāu-piánn).”
Green bean puffs are a classic flavor of traditional mooncakes, characterized by their smooth, full shape, and a combination of crisp softness and refreshing fragrance.
It is speculated that this dish was created first, with the linguistic reference coming before the written record. Consulting the ‘Ministry of Education Taiwanese Hokkien Commonly Used Vocabulary Dictionary,’ there are only two characters pronounced as ‘suàn’: 蒜 (garlic) and 算 (calculate).
In Taiwan, however, the Chinese name for this dessert has several variations: 綠豆蒜 (green bean garlic), 綠豆算 (green bean calculate), 綠豆饌 (green bean suan), 綠豆鑽 (green bean drill), and 綠豆饡 (pronounced like ‘praise’). To match the sound with characters, the store owners have really shown their creativity!
Pingtung and it's Green Bean Garlic Shops
According to the data collected, Pingtung County and especially Checheng Township, has the highest number of shops selling Green Bean Garlic. There are also shops in Taipei, Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Taitung, with slightly more in the south. As one moves away from these areas, the shops become sparser, and people in the central part of Taiwan report being completely unaware of it. I haven’t seen a one in Taichung where I stay most of the time.
However, the distribution of Green Bean Garlic shops within Pingtung County is also uneven. The shops are scattered across Wandan, Chaozhou, Donggang, Fangliao, Checheng, and Hengchun, with the highest concentration around the Fuan Temple in Checheng Township, making it a prime battleground and a well-known local product of Checheng.
I have made a whole 360-degree virtual tour in the Checheng Fu’an Temple Food Market, you can find it below – just virtually walk in it, and you will see numerous stalls selling Green Been Garlic!
Virtual 360-degree walk in the Fuan Temple Food Market which is your place to try Green Bean Garlic while on your way to Kenting
Perhaps it started with a grandma selling ice in the summer and hot sweet soup in the winter at the temple entrance. Making glutinous rice balls was too troublesome, but a big pot of Green Bean Garlic was easy to prepare – just scoop it into a bowl for quick service
Fu’an Temple was very popular (and is popular still!), and tourists heading to Kenting from central and northern Taiwan, who had never tried it, found it delicious and novel. Thus, word spread from one to ten, ten to a hundred, and neighbors followed suit, leading to an “uncontrollable situation” creating so many shops selling this specialty in Kenting!
Modern Ways to Prepare Green Bean Garlic
Traditionally, Green Bean Garlic was eaten hot, regardless of winter or summer, a habit also observed in its place of origin in China, as well as in Hong Kong and Singapore-Malaysia. It’s tolerable in winter, but drinking hot Green Bean Garlic in the peak of summer is too much of a challenge. Thankfully, we have refrigerators, and chilling it for a while makes it delightfully cool.
Adding members of the ‘fen’ family like glass noodles, tapioca balls, and agar to Green Bean Garlic, similar to Qingxin Pills, seems logical; red beans, glutinous rice balls, honey taro, taro balls, and barley, which are key ingredients in shaved ice, also pair well with Green Bean Garlic. The current trend is to incorporate Green Bean Garlic into shaved ice systems, where this unobtrusive syrup harmonizes with various ingredients, making the overall taste smoother.
This is the example of such “mixed” green bean garlic dish
Where I can taste the Green Bean Garlic?
As I mentioned above, the easiest way would just park near the Fu’am Temple, there is plenty of parking, and then head to the food market which you will see immediately next to the temple. Google maps location will help you set your journey: