LOCAL FOOD GUIDE

Xiaoliuqiu Fried Dough Twists 小琉球麻花卷

Xiaoliuqiu Mahuajuan

Xiaoliuqiu Fried Dough Twists is featured among the local specialties of Taiwan.

AI illustration: A ceramic plate of small golden fried dough pastries with visible airy crisp texture.
AI illustration · AI 示意图（仅供参考，非实拍）AI-generated visual reference; not a restaurant photograph. AI 示意图，仅供参考，非实拍。

Xiaoliuqiu Fried Dough Twists (小琉球麻花卷) are a sweet snack associated with Xiaoliuqiu (小琉球). The golden twists have a sugar coating and a crisp texture, and are sold in several flavours as an island souvenir.

Where it comes from

The Dapeng Bay (大鵬灣) tourism authority connects the snack with fishing households. In its account, island residents worked on fishing boats and wives prepared dough twists for their husbands to eat aboard as a snack.

Flavour and texture

The same tourism authority describes a fragrant, crisp bite beneath the sugar coating. It also describes women making the twists together, and links their spread as a souvenir to visitors' recommendations.

AI illustration: A small pile of golden-brown fried dough twists, clearly braided strands and crisp bubbled surfaces.
AI illustration · AI 示意图（菜式参考，非实拍） · 麻花 — A general serving example; recipes and presentation vary.

China Revealed · Last updated 2026-10-07

Sources & reading

Written from the linked sources and fact-checked against them on 2026-09-30. Recipes and servings vary between kitchens.