Ginger duck
Ginger duck is a traditional Taiwanese hot pot dish that is commonly consumed during the winter months. It is classified as a form of herbal cuisine, combining duck meat with ginger, rice wine, and traditional medicinal herbs. In Taiwan, ginger duck is a seasonal dish and is regarded as one of the representative winter foods, alongside mutton hot pot.
Ginger duck is prepared by simmering duck meat in a broth made from rice wine, ginger, and herbal ingredients. The dish is typically eaten hot and is widely believed in Taiwanese food culture to have warming, restorative and nourishing properties. As a result, it is particularly popular in colder weather and is often consumed as a communal meal. The name of the dish refers to its key ingredient: ginger, specifically mature ginger, which has a stronger flavor and is traditionally associated with warming properties in Taiwanese dietary theory. Seasonal ginger duck restaurants and street stalls are common in Taiwan during autumn and winter.
History
There is a common misconception that ginger duck originated in China, but food writer Chen Jingyi has shown that this confusion largely stems from conflating it with ginger-braised duck dishes found in parts of Tong'an, Xiamen in Fujian, China. Through years of field research documented in her book "Taiwanese Flavor", Chen explains that while related duck-and-ginger dishes existed in southeastern China—often cooked dry, reduced to a glaze, and meant for takeaway—the soupy, hot-pot-style ginger duck known today is a Taiwanese creation.According to her findings, Taiwan's version took shape in the 1980s, when local businesses added rice wine, sesame oil, and specific Chinese medicinal herbs, transforming earlier traditions into a distinct Taiwanese winter tonic dish. This Taiwanese style later spread back to China in the 1990s, particularly to Xiamen, reinforcing the mistaken belief that it was Chinese in origin. Chen emphasizes that ginger duck exemplifies how food cultures are fluid, but the form most people recognize today is firmly rooted in Taiwan's culinary innovation, not Chinese cuisine.