We're headed back to Asia again, this time Taiwan. Today's offering comes from the good folks at Taisun Enterprise Company, Ltd. The food itself was 8 Treasure congee, also known as a mixed congee, which came in a can. And this was yet another Wegman's supermarket find.
Congee is simply the far Eastern take on porridge. (Although the name itself comes from a Tamil word, so it's Ancient Indian in origin.) And "porridge" is closely related to "gruel." Both of these words have negative connotations for many people, including myself. When I hear "porridge" I picture the food served at particularly underfunded Dickensian orphanages. And "gruel" was the gray slop served to Martin Prince and friends at the crappy fat camp in an early episode of "The Simpsons." "Doing porridge" was even a slang term for serving prison time in England, based on the jailhouse cuisine. But, it turns out that this is somewhat exaggerated. Porridge is incredibly common fare across the globe. Just about every area has some version of it, using their own names. Because "porridge" is just a boiled grain, usually served in milk or water, with a thick, soupy or stew-ish texture. "Gruel" is a thinner kind of porridge, so that it can be drunk instead of eaten with a spoon. Although the grains used often vary, the most common ones are oats, rice, barley, corn, millet, sorghum, buckwheat, and peas (ala "pease porridge in the pot, ten days old"). Also, the common breakfasts of oatmeal or cream of wheat are both technically porridges, so many people have eaten it, even if it was called something different. The congee I bought was developed to celebrate the Laba festival, and therefore is often referred to as "Laba congee." Laba is a holiday celebrated on the 8th day of the La month, and is associated with the enlightenment day for Buddha. Presumably the number of treasures is to correspond with the 8th day. The 8 treasures, or ingredients in the congee I tried were glutinous rice, oats, mung beans, pinto beans, red beans, barley, peanuts, and longans (a tropical fruit in the soapberry family, which is also related to lychees (see November 15, 2013 post), rambutan, ackee (see January 16, 2014 post), and guarana (see October 21, 2017 post).
Taisun Enterprise Company Ltd. was started on October 26, 1950, by Chan Yu-Chu and his three unnamed brothers. It began as a (food) oil plant, but eventually expanded into other edibles, such as soybean powders, teas, jellies, waters, energy drinks, soups, and even fish food. The canned 8 Treasure congee (aka mixed congee) was sold starting in 1986. Alternate congee flavors include a red (bean) kind, a black (bean) kind, and a 10 Treasure one. Congee itself is often consumed at breakfast. It's also a popular food for the elderly and infants, since it's believed to be easy to digest.
Taisun Enterprise Company, Ltd., Mixed Congee (8 Treasure Congee) instant cereal: This came in a 13.2 ounce (375 gram) can. I ate this cold, right out of the container. It looked pretty revolting--reddish brown chunks in a thick liquid. But happily the taste was pretty good. It was like a decent breakfast cereal, with enough sweetness to keep things interesting. The beans were a little off-putting at first, since I'm not used to beans in a breakfast-type cereal, but their flavor wasn't too bad. So despite the initial appearance the overall experience was positive.
Therefore, I would get this again, and I would try the other congees if possible. I'm further amused by the numbering of ingredients as "treasures" in the congee titles. I'd like to see a congee made up of all the grain/bean/fruit types in the world--5,738 Treasure Congee, (or however many types there are). Even if the result would most likely be an unholy abomination.
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