Asian snacks have a special place in my heart. When I was younger my parents didn’t really buy Western food or snacks but they would always get me some sort of snack from H-Mart or Oriental Foods. In honor of these delicious snacks, I’ve decided to pay it forward and recommend to you guys some of them.
1.Hi-Chews
These juicy, chewy delicious candies are similar to Starbursts, expect they have a more exquisite taste in my opinion. They are a bit softer than Starbursts but they have great fruity flavor that will bless your taste buds. With a huge selection of flavors, from Strawberry to Kiwi, these candies are now getting more and more mainstream as you can find them beyond your local Asian food market. I was surprised when I found out that they sold them at Speedway. It’s usually pretty rare for Western companies like Speedway to sell Asian snacks like Hi-Chews. It just goes to show how popular they’ve become.
2. Pocky
You’ve probably heard of these as they are one of the most popular, if not, the most popular Asian snack in America. These are essentially chocolate covered mini-bread sticks that melt in your mouth. They also sell them with a strawberry flavor, cookies and cream flavor, etc. Ironically, I didn’t eat these much during my childhood even though I asked my parents to buy these for me, which was probably for the sake of my health.
3.Shrimp Chips
People would most likely cringe at the idea of anything edible being shrimp flavored. I’m not a big fan of shrimp either but these chips are INCREDIBLE. They have the perfect blend of spice, salt , and shrimp flavor to them. In my opinion, these are the most underrated Asian snacks as it is not as well known or mainstream as Pocky or Hi-Chews. This is the one snack that I wish my parents brought home more often.
4. Yan Yan
Yan Yan is the most interesting snack on this list, as it isn’t one that can be directly eaten. The consumer should first dip their mini-bread stick into a chocolate or strawberry flavored spread, and then eat it. It’s kind of like Fun-Dip. You’ve probably seen the Western version of Yan Yan, Nutella and Go!, but Yan Yan’s breadstick quality is better. Yan Yan was probably the snack on this list that I consumed the most. My mom hated it whenever my Dad bought these because of the mess I would make when eating these.
5. Haw Flakes
These are probably the most unknown Asian snack on this list. If your parents are Chinese, then most likely you’ve tried these before. The best way to describe Haw Flakes is fruit flavored chips that aren’t crispy. I know this sounds unappetizing but there really isn’t any American snack or food that is similar to Haw Flakes. I promise you that these are delicious even for American taste buds.
You’ll most likely find these Asian snacks at your local Asian food market or shop. I encourage you guys to try these amazing snacks because they made up a large part of my childhood, and they were to me like Goldfish and Snickers to some of you guys. Enjoy!
Sources:
Me