Kaohsiung Excellence The Best Local Delicacies at Your Fingertips

　Kaohsiung is a generous hostess to her many visitors. Those who come here can never forget the city's abundant natural beauty and enchanting cosmopolitan atmosphere. Now Kaohsiung has even more to offer. Since May 2012, visitors have been benefiting from a newly-created list, "Kaohsiung Excellence," which features 20 gourmet items made in Kaohsiung using local ingredients. Earlier this year, Kaohsiung City Government's Information Bureau and Tourism Bureau co-hosted the "Kaohsiung Excellence" competition in two categories: gourmet foods and arts & crafts. After careful consideration, 20 gourmet food items were selected. They now serve as culinary ambassadors, popular delicacies which visitors to Kaohsiung can take home with them.

　There is great variety among the 20 items, and they represent Kaohsiung's different culinary characteristics. The products were selected not only for their flavors; their aesthetics and packaging were also taken into consideration. For example, the rice gift box features the finest rice from six different rice-growing districts in Kaohsiung; it celebrates the richness of the land. There are also many seafood products made from local catch, and pastries made with local produce. All of these food souvenirs are produced with the greatest care to best capture natural flavors. Many are traditional favorites with a modern twist and perhaps a different presentation; not only are they pleasant to the eyes, but their familiar yet somehow completely new tastes are wonderfully surprising. As you savor these treats, there is also food for thought. Many items come with a brief introduction which tells the story of a unique product. As we get to know the flavors of Kaohsiung, we also get to know the traditions and culture that bring us these wonderful foods. 

高雄精品 食品類 嚴選在地好味

◎文／林旻伶　◎攝影／鮑忠暉

　　造訪高雄，感受城市魅力之餘，千萬別忘了帶上一份2012年5月選出的「高雄精品」美食伴手禮，將高雄限定的美味打包回家！高雄市政府新聞局與觀光局合辦的「高雄精品」徵集評鑑，包含食品類與工藝類兩大項目，由食品類218件中精選出的20件代表作，以在地食材完美演繹高雄獨特美味。

　　入選的高雄精品美食種類豐富，究其內涵，鮮明的在地主題性為最大共同特色，商品包裝設計感及攜帶便利性亦為入選考量因素，舉例來說，集結各區好米的白米禮盒，將高雄土地蘊含的能量展露無遺；以高雄漁產加工而成的海鮮類商品，以及在地農特產品製成的各式糕餅甜點，完整封存食材的新鮮風味；更令人驚豔的是，多項商品以創新的料理手法，賦予傳統食材截然不同的呈現方式，帶給人們視覺與味蕾的雙重感受。品嚐高雄精品美食伴手禮，細細咀嚼其背後的生產故事，它傳遞的不僅是極致的味覺感官，更與高雄文化緊密連結，讓人們得以從另一個角度認識高雄。