(1) Summary:
In addition to its rich produce of pomelos, Madou District was once a center where pickled vegetables were made. Pickle Lane is located at the end of Ren Ai Road of Madou District. The location does exactly as its name suggests, serving as a distributing center for various types of pickles. Features include vegetables pickled in large wooden casks that measure up to 2 meters in height and 1.6 to 2.5 meters in diameter. Each of these casks is capable of pickling up to 10,000 kg of vegetables in one go.
The vegetable pickling industry is now dwindling in Madou. The pickling casks, however, have become a unique landscape feature in Madou and serve as an important tourist destination. Plans were made to move the casks to Pei Wun Elementary School in the District to create a Pickle Cultural Park. People interested in local folk culture of Madou District should not miss the Pickle Lane as well as the massive wooden pickling casks to personally witness the hard work invested in the art of pickling.
The residents of Madou would follow the old methods in creating their pickles. According to experienced gourmands, Madou pickles can be used to prepare a hearty soup on its own. The pickles of Madou are just as famous as its pomelos. (Address: Lane 29, Ren Ai Road, Madou District) Pickle Lane earned its name during the Japanese occupation. Traditional pickle casks were constructed using Taiwania (Taiwania cryptomerioides) and cypress wood and bound using ropes made of thorny bamboo. Experience dictated that using two types of wood with different densities would help prevent the casks from splitting or cracking because of thermal expansion and contraction. The best material for creating the ropes would be the thorny bamboos that are about 3 years old. Younger bamboo would not have adequate strength, while bamboo that is too old would yield fibers that are too thick to work with. Pickles made using wooden casks have a special aroma, and were once one of the most famous local produce in the area.
(2) Address: No. 11, Heping Road, 3rd Neighborhood, Singnong Village, Madou District, Tainan City (inside Pei Wun Elementary School)
(3) Telephone: 06-5722169 (Pei Wun Elementary School)