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.jpg) Guazi or kuaci | |
| Alternative names | Kuaci (Indonesian) |
|---|---|
| Course | Snack |
| Region or state | East Asia andSoutheast Asia |
| Associatedcuisine | China andIndonesia |
Guazi (Chinese:瓜子;Indonesian:kuaci), also calledkwasi (Burmese:ကွာစေ့) refers to roastedplant seeds. It is a popular snack inChina,Malaysia andoverseas Chinese communities, especially inIndonesia. While directly translated as "melon seeds" it usually refers to baked seeds of thesunflower,pumpkin, orwatermelon seeds. It is often served as anappetizer duringbanquets.[1]
The oldest documentation of the consumption ofguazi is recorded in theTaiping Huanyu Ji though it is unclear what specific variety of seed was eaten.[1] Watermelon seeds were the earliest to be consumed in China during theTang dynasty and only became widespread during theMing andQing dynasties.[1]
TheWanli Emperor was described by Liu Ruoyu in theZhuo Zhong Zhi to have “loved eating fresh watermelon seeds baked withsalt.”[1] There is a folk song from the late Ming that described a girl gifting a bag of shelled seeds to her lover.[1] Consumption of pumpkin and sunflower seeds only became commonplace after the Qing.[1]Republican-era artistFeng Zikai observed the popularity of eating seeds during his lifetime in an article on the matter titled "EatingGuazi".[1] Quan Yanchi wrote in his bookLeaders Around the Dining Table howMao Zedong andLiu Shaoqi enjoyed eatingguazi.[1]
The process of shelling each seed in order to eat the food is time-consuming for a relatively minimal amount of substance.Guazi are often cracked with the teeth, described by the verb kè (Chinese:嗑;pinyin:kè), which requires some skill. This task can be viewed as wasteful and has been used to symbolize wasting time. It has also been used in context of wasting taxpayer money.[1]
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