Dishes
Winter melon tea
冬瓜茶
Also called: winter melon punch
A sweet drink made by boiling winter melon with brown sugar or caramel.
What it is
Despite the name it is made from winter melon and sugar, not tea leaves. It is sweet and served cold. Variations add lemon or oolong, and street vendors sometimes add tapioca balls, nata de coco or tangyuan.
How it is made
Peeled, deseeded winter melon is boiled with brown sugar or caramel and stirred for several hours, then strained. The concentrate can be diluted with ice, or boiled down further into solid blocks of winter melon candy.
How to eat it
Drink it cold from a drinks stand. In Kaohsiung, try it mixed with other drinks.
In Kaohsiung
Grandma's Marble Soda Mixed Tea in Kaohsiung's Yancheng district, open for more than 50 years, sells one drink: kumquat-lemon-plum tea, winter melon tea and a whole bottle of marble soda poured into one cup.
Where to eat it in Kaohsiung
Sources