This comprehensive look at Taiwan’s unique salt culture, traditional craftsmanship, and innovative artisans of today covers salt pan ecology, fermented sauces, and local cuisines, showcasing Taiwan’s diverse cultural history and culinary arts, where salt and locale meet to the benefit of both.

This book is a comprehensive look at the history of Taiwan’s salt industry, documenting its culinary culture and artisanal spirit. Co-authored by Tsai Chiung-Chiao, Lin Chia-Chi, Shen Meng-Mei, and Chen Ching-Yi, it combines extensive field research with historical and cultural references to showcase seven of Taiwan’s representative salt-cured products. Featured alongside these are in-depth conversations with eight artisans who have mastered the art of salt and ten local salt fields’ stories.

This book’s appeal lies not just in its scientific and culinary perspectives, but also in the cultural and historical charm radiating from its pages as it explores Taiwan’s geography, communities, and craftsmanship, with salt as the common thread. From southern Taiwan to eastern Taiwan and the outlying islands, we follow the authors as they visit the artisans who produce, process, and use salt. We see the remarkable transformation salt undergoes as various processing techniques turn it into a range of products, including open pan sea salt, algae salt, and bamboo salt. We explore Taiwanese ethnic groups’ brining expertise in its many forms, such as Hakka dried vegetables, Tainan pickled clams, and the Amis’ silaw (pickled pork). We then go behind the scenes of the restaurant industry to discover how chefs, salt stewards, and other artisans are exploring new possibilities for salt on our tables and in the industry.

Through stunning images, a wealth of information, artisan profiles, and historical anecdotes, this book captures the many layers of Taiwanese salt culture, making natural connections between the ways in which salt permeates food, the land, and even people’s hearts. A comprehensive picture of Taiwan’s complex and nuanced cultural landscape, this is an excellent guide to Taiwanese salt culture that invites readers to experience the many flavors of salt.