Last week Taipei City’s Office of Commerce released the results of its first survey this year of the “Top 10” snacks being sold at the Dihua Street market for the Lunar New Year. Cashews came in first place, followed by dried shredded squid at second place and chewy candy at third place.
According to the Taipei City Department of Health’s investigation on Jan. 28, although cashews contain more than 600 calories per 100g, they are still the most popular snack being sold at the Dihua Street market for the Spring Festival. A service representative working at the Hu Kuang Chinese Medicine Shop, opposite the Xia Hai City God Temple, said that cashews are a top seller every year, adding that in early years it was always big families coming in to buy 5 or 6 jin (3kg or 3.6kg) at a time, while now families are much smaller and typically only buy 1 or 2 jin (600g or 1.2kg).
The Office of Commerce says that cashews are so popular, in part, because of their pleasant-sounding name — “happy nut” in Chinese, and also because they come in various flavors, including original, butter, or salt and pepper. Out of all the Lunar New Year snacks, another reason cashews are the champion of all Dihua Street market snacks is because cashews only cost between NT$200 and NT$270 per jin (600g), making them a very affordable snack. Cashews are nutritious nuts with an auspicious name (in Chinese), so they are quite suitable for snacking on while watching television or to give away as gifts.
Photo: Chen Wei-tzu, Liberty Times
照片:自由時報記者陳慰慈
Dried shredded squid, which came in second place, is also high in calories, approximately 300 to 350 calories per 100g serving, and it has higher levels of sodium — around 1,945mg. If you are not careful, you could easily eat enough of the snack to exceed the recommended daily sodium intake of 2,400mg. Many people were surprised to discover that the sumptuously sweet-smelling sesame cakes and nougats, the latter of which is a hot item for group purchases, were not included in the “Top 10” list.
(Liberty Times, Translated by Kyle Jeffcoat)
台北市商業處今年首度對迪化商圈三十家業者進行熱銷年貨零嘴調查,上週公布「年節TOP 10暢銷零嘴」排名,由開心果奪冠,二、三名則分別由魷魚絲、QQ軟糖奪下。
Photo: Chen Wei-tzu, Liberty Times
照片:自由時報記者陳慰慈
依據一月二十八日台北市衛生局調查,開心果每一百公克熱量雖然逾六百大卡,但仍勇奪迪化街年貨零嘴冠軍,位於霞海城隍廟對面的湖廣藥材服務人員表示,開心果每年都是店裡熱賣第一名,只不過早期是大家庭多,客人一次出手都買五、六斤,現在因小家庭多、人口少,每次最多只帶一、兩斤。
商業處表示,開心果因名字討喜,又有原味、奶油、胡椒鹽等多種口味,加上每斤價格約兩百到兩百七十元之間,非昂貴零嘴,因此在年貨零嘴排行榜拔得頭籌。開心果屬堅果類,不但健康營養,名稱又很吉利,過年買回家看電視吃,或是送禮都很適合。
第二名的魷魚絲每一百公克熱量也不低,約三百到三百五十大卡,鈉含量更高達一千九百四十五毫克,一不小心多吃幾口就超出國人每日攝取二千四百毫克鈉含量的標準。對於芝麻香氣濃郁的麻荖與團購熱銷的牛軋糖沒入圍,許多人則感到意外。
Photo: Chen Wei-tzu, Liberty Times
照片:自由時報記者陳慰慈
(自由時報記者陳慰慈)
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