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Guazi

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Guazi
Guazi or kuaci
Alternative namesKuaci(Indonesian)
CourseSnack
Region or stateEast AsiaandSoutheast Asia
AssociatedcuisineChinaandIndonesia

Guazi(Chinese:Hạt dưa;Indonesian:kuaci), also calledkwasi(Burmese:ကွာစေ့) refers to roastedplant seeds.It is a popular snack inChina,Malaysiaandoverseas Chinesecommunities, especially inIndonesia.While directly translated as "melonseeds "it usually refers to baked seeds of thesunflower,pumpkin,orwatermelon seeds.It is often served as anappetizerduringbanquets.[1]

History

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The oldest documentation of the consumption ofguaziis recorded in theTaiping Huanyu Jithough it is unclear what specific variety of seed was eaten.[1] Watermelon seeds were the earliest to be consumed in China during theTang dynastyand only became widespread during theMingandQing dynasties.[1]

TheWanli Emperorwas described by Liu Ruoyu in theZhuo Zhong Zhito 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-eraartistFeng Zikaiobserved 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 TablehowMao ZedongandLiu Shaoqienjoyed eatingguazi.[1]

Idiom

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The process of shelling each seed in order to eat the food is time-consuming for a relatively minimal amount of substance.Guaziare often cracked with the teeth, described by the verb kè (Chinese:Cắn;pinyin:), 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]

Varieties

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See also

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References

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  1. ^abcdefghiSun, Jiahui (5 September 2016)."Sowing the Melon Seeds of Love".THE WORLD OF CHINESE.Retrieved23 July2022.