Even though I grew up in a sweet tooth household, the confectionery known as nougat has never really done anything for me. Made of sugar, honey, roasted nuts, whipped egg whites and chopped candied fruit, nougat reminds me a lot of fruit cake, probably because it sounds gross and I don’t want to eat it. But I’m sure the visitors at the Taiwan Nougat Museum don’t feel the same way. The Salico Enterprises Company, which traces its origins back to 1956 when founder Madame Liou-Peng Yu introduced nougat candy to Taiwan from Hong Kong, offers a factory tour and nostalgic-themed exhibits. Set in an old grocery store, museum visitors can take a walk down “Filial Boulevard” to see an early Taiwan engagement with various wedding presents, dresses and of course cake! The origins of the wedding cake with its tools, molds and baking processes are on display, but let’s get to the bakers at work. While the live nougat-making performances offer fresh batches of nougat to taste test, the DIY Cake Workshops let visitors pretend to be bakers for a day and take home some pineapple nougat cake. But remember…both of these activities must be booked in advance, no nougat on the fly! And let’s not forget this is a business that makes and sells nougat, so the shop is bigger than the whole museum. But that’s expected of course.
Taiwan Nougat Museum
