A cry of "Boss, a piece of meat fritter!" evokes a unique memory of the flavors found along the coastal areas of Yunlin. This "ginger bomb fritter," with its crispy exterior and spicy interior, uses coarsely chopped ginger and pork mixed in the filling. The spicy flavor leaves you in a sweat, yet local gourmands can't resist it. This is the winter-limited street food in Yunlin's coastal areas &ndash ginger pork fritters.

The fritters resemble oyster fritters in appearance, but the filling is quite different. In the past, mutton or even mysterious "sea pig meat" (i.e., sea豚肉) were used, but now it is more commonly pork hind leg meat paired with old ginger, fried into small, concentrated, spicy fritters. From Lunbei to Taixi and Mailiao, only coastal areas hold this unique dish mountain areas like Huwei and Douliu are unlikely to find it.Pork fritters resembling oyster pancakes (Photo / Sourced from ReadTravel)

Local old shops, like Grandma's mutton fritters in Lunbei market and the nameless oyster fritters in Dongshi, uphold this traditional flavor, and even offer new flavors like "ostrich fritters."  Yuanchang's iron track fritters are rumored to be a mysterious spot that once sold "sea pig" meat. This shows that Yunlin people are addicted to ginger, and ginger juice has even become a byproduct of the fried food shops!Pork fritters with fresh mantis shrimp, ready to be deep-fried (Photo / Sourced from ReadTravel)

With changes in geography and time, northern and southern snacks have evolved into their own distinctive characteristics. Wanggong in Changhua focuses on fresh oysters and chives, Junshi in Tainan adds fried shrimp or pickled vegetables, and the Penghu islands use whole dog prawns in their crispy fried fritters, creating unique regional variations of oyster fritters. But Yunlin's meat fritters remain a unique style, relying on ginger to maintain the memory and warmth of the land.

Have you tried this spicy ginger bomb fritter?