Known as the Father of bitter Gourd, Chyuan Jong-ho, associate researcher at Hualien County's Agricultural Research and Extension Station, has been collecting local heirloom varieties since 1998. Through careful selection of high female-flower strains as breeding stock, his persistent efforts have produced eight distinct mountain bitter gourd cultivars—Hualien No. 1 through Hualien No. 8—each with unique commercial value and frequent media attention.

From Garden to Gourmet: The Mountain Bitter Gourd's Journey

Varieties No. 1-3 serve primarily as stir-fry ingredients at mountain cuisine restaurants. The later cultivars—varieties 4-8—took a dramatic turn when the National Science and Technology Program for Agricultural Biotechnology under Taiwan's National Science Council (NSC) included bitter gourd in its Traditional Chinese Medicine Health Industry research initiative. These cultivars made a glamorous transformation into university research subjects.

For indigenous communities, mountain bitter gourd remains an everyday table staple. Beyond the fruit itself, indigenous cooks harvest and prepare the leaves, a dish now commonly found at mountain restaurants near tribal areas and even appearing in traditional markets. Mountain bitter gourd boasts robust vitality with natural resistance to pests and diseases. This heat-loving, warm-weather crop can't handle the cold but thrives in Taiwan's climate. The entire plant emits a distinctive aroma and grows more compact than common bitter gourd varieties. Also known as wild bitter gourd or short-fruit bitter gourd, this indigenous Taiwanese crop grows wild across the island. Its range spans from Toucheng Township, Yilan County coastal mountains and Hualien's seaside slopes to Yunlin's riverbeds and down to Hengchun Township, Pingtung County in the south.