Before high school, the word runbing (Taiwanese spring roll) was almost foreign to me. It wasn&rsquot until I moved from a small town to the city for high school in Zhongli that I discovered it. During the golden two hours before cram school, my friends and I would roam the snack stalls, sampling everything from fried chicken and red bean cakes to bubble tea. After indulging in too much greasy street food, a roll from Liu&rsquos Runbing&mdashpacked with fresh vegetables and bursting with fragrant aroma-felt like an occasional &ldquocleansing ritual.&rdquo Its lightness stood out in our flavor-heavy teenage days, making it unforgettable.
The story of runbing stretches far beyond my first encounter. Its roots trace back to the Spring and Autumn Period with the tradition of the &ldquofive pungent dishes&rdquo for blessings, and the Cold Food Festival where people ate cold meals in remembrance of Jie Zitui, who died in a fire. Runbing embodies a blend of history, seasonal customs, and human connection. In Kinmen, it&rsquos known as bo bing or qi bing, and is wrapped in a romantic tale of a wife preparing food for her husband. In Taiwan, it has become a symbolic dish of family reunion during festivals such as Tomb-Sweeping Day and Lunar New Year.
The thickness of the wrapper reflects the true skill of the maker. (Photo: TRAVELER Luxe)
Whether filled with shredded egg or crispy egg threads, lima beans or oil noodles, runbing varies endlessly, much like the histories and taste preferences of each household. Food writers describe it as a &ldquogenealogy without words&rdquo&mdasha single wrap capturing a person&rsquos background and culinary heritage. Today, from traditional street stalls and night markets to modern twists with Korean kimchi or Thai basil pork, runbing is reinventing itself between tradition and innovation.
Hsinchu&rsquos local specialty pastry, &ldquoShui Run Bing,&rdquo is named for its soft, moist texture. (Photo: TRAVELER Luxe)
The taste of youth, the memory of family, the warmth of celebration&mdashall can be tightly wrapped in a thin sheet of dough. So what story is hidden in your runbing?
