What cheers you up after a long day of tiring work? What brings people together? The answer is snacks! Asian snacks, famous for their delicate looks and yummy flavors, are a welcoming taste for everyone. Here are a few well-known Asian snacks that you can get online or from your local Asian supermarket.

By Jiayi Sun
Illustrations by Hunter Tanem

1.      Japanese-Style Mochi

Mochi are round balls with soft dough and filling inside. Some of the most popular mochi flavors are matcha, red bean and green tea. These mochi are often confused with the American ice cream mochi, but they are different. The biggest difference lies in their filling. With bean paste inside, the Japanese style mochi tastes sweeter and is not as cold as American ice cream mochi. When you are chewing the outside dough, you will wonder how it can be so soft and chewy. The inside filling is sweet, but not too sweet, and after one bite it will be hard to resist eating another.

2.      Royal Pineapple Cake

Royal pineapple cake is a traditional item from Taiwan. It has a hard outside dough made of flour and fruit paste inside. If mochi is like a dancer with a delicate body and taste, then royal pineapple cake is similar to a muscular man. The strong and crisp dough is a great contrast to the perfectly soft and sweet inside filling, making your taste buds flutter while you snack.

3.      Pocky

Pocky is the best on-the-go snack. You can easily pull it out of your pocket to eat while multitasking or share it with friends. The snack is a crispy stick that comes in multiple flavors like chocolate, strawberry and matcha. The matcha is a favorite because of its bitter and sweet contrasting flavors. When the green matcha part touches your tongue, it melts your mouth (and heart) slowly. These are also the perfect gift snack to give to friends, or to keep and eat for yourself! 

4.      Egg Rolls

Egg rolls are fried, golden-brown savory snacks. On the messy side, taking a bite into one of these causes the crispy outside to crumble. Still the blend of the flavor of eggs and sesame creates a perfectly satisfying taste if you are in the mood for a snack more on the savory side. 

5.      White Rabbit Cool Creamy Candy

Many of us Chinese call it “the memory of our childhood.” When you first bite into this, your mouth will be filled with sweetness immediately. This candy is soft and juicy, with a thick taste of milk.

Be sure to stop by your local Asian supermarket and try out some of these popular treats.