 A packaged stack of haw flakes and an individual haw flake | |
| Alternative names | Shān Zhā Bǐng |
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| Type | Confectionery |
| Place of origin | China |
| Main ingredients | Chinese hawthorn fruit, sugar |
| Haw flakes | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Traditional Chinese | 山楂餠 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 山楂饼 | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Haw flakes (Chinese:山楂餠;pinyin:shānzhā bǐng) areChinese sweets made from the fruit of theChinese hawthorn.[1] Appearance wise, it takes on a pale/dark pink candy and is usually formed into discs two millimeters thick. It is most commonly packaged in cylindrical stacks with label art resembling Chinese fireworks. The sweet and tangy snack is usually served to guests along with tea or as a treat for children.[2] It is sometimes consumed with bitterChinese herbal medicine to aid digestion.[1]
Gourmet haw flakes are also available at specialty Chinese markets in the West. Gourmet haw flakes tend to be larger than the regularShandong haw flakes (gourmet haw flakes are about 35–40 mm in diameter whereas the Shandong haw flakes are about 25 mm in diameter).
Low-sugar and additive-free haw flakes aimed towards the health conscious are readily available in China but less so in the West. They will vary from pale beige to reddish brown in color.
Haw flakes have been seized on several occasions by the United StatesFood and Drug Administration for containingPonceau 4R (E124, Acid Red 18), an unapprovedartificial coloring.[3][4] Ponceau 4R is used in Europe, Asia and Australia but is not approved by the US FDA.
Currently, certain brands of haw flakes containAllura Red AC (FD& C #40) as the red coloring. In Europe, Allura Red AC is not recommended for consumption by children. The food coloring was previously banned in Denmark, Belgium, France and Switzerland, but is now approved in the whole EU as Food additive E 129.
