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na ezt rendkívül gonosz dolog volt beletenni a közel-keletről (muhaha) ukrajnán át küldött pakkba, ugyanis KURVAJÓ!! ezért aztán nagyon szar lesz majd, amikor elfogy...

#omg #uae #mango #hard candy #americandy #z

Manju are traditional Japanese dough buns, often filled with sweet bean paste, that are best eaten fresh. A Seattle native recently opened a manju bakery to replace one he remembers fondly from childhood.

Manju (MAHN-jew) are Japanese dough buns — often sweet — made from pounded rice flour dough and flavored fillings. In Japanese culture, a box of manju is what you'd take to someone's house on a special occasion, like Children's Day. Or you might simply snack on it with a cup of tea. But manju have to be eaten fresh, and they're pretty labor intensive, so nowadays, they can be hard to find.

On Saturdays, Art Oki's mom used to take him to the local sweets shop in Seattle's Nihonmachi, or Japantown. He was 6 years old and the perfect height to stare right into the display case. But that place closed in the 1970s.

Today Oki has his own shop called Umai Do on a street that used to cut through the old Japantown. In his shop, the manju sit in tidy rows. They look like dumplings in all different colors — bubblegum pink; green tea green; shiny white. They're steamed or baked. I pick one that looks like a potato, called imogashi.

It's got "cinnamon on the outside, cake covering, with white lima bean paste in the middle. I call that my Japanese version of a snickerdoodle," Oki says.

You read that right: white lima bean paste. It's surprisingly sweet. There are also manju filled with red azuki beans, and if this makes you leery, Oki will slip into manju sales mode. Beans have been a common ingredient in Asian desserts for centuries.

"When I talk to people who are new to Japanese sweets, I remind them it's a little softer than gummy bears," he says.

I say it's like gooey rice but a better consistency. It's like getting to eat a really good Play-Doh.

After the sweets shop from Oki's childhood closed, the nearest place to get manju was in Vancouver, B.C. And when that one closed, anyone traveling to California or Hawaii would get manju requests.

"At times I would have to bring back, like, six-dozen, so that was, like, half my carry-on," Oki recalls.

These chewy morsels speak to Japanese tradition and nostalgia, as our colleagues over at KQED have reported.

"My mother would say, 'Oh, I think you'd like this one.' I went with the plain white one, and I liked the anko, the bean paste, and got hooked," Oki says.

But getting hooked on the taste didn't mean he started baking then and there. For 30 years, Oki worked in local government as an accountant. Then he started at the bottom, apprenticing at a manju shop in Los Angeles where he learned the basics. He opened his store in Seattle only last year, and takes his sweets to cultural festivals, growing his customer base beyond those of Japanese descent. And, he says, he is learning from customers.

"The Hawaii folks actually suggested my newest item, the chi chi dango — coconut milk infused into the mochi. It tastes just like Hawaii," he says.

And for many people in Seattle, it tastes like home.

#americandy #well npr called it americandy but this seems more like just plain Japanese candy in America #Manju #candy

In Las Cruces, a candy shop whips up nut brittle made with red and green chili powder almost daily. Luis Flores' parents started in the candy business four decades ago. Today, you'll find his spicy brittle in farmer's markets and gift shops across the Southwest.

#Americandy #chile brittle #candy #food #npr

There once was a candy maker who was infatuated with an actress. Now, there's a candy shop in Louisville, Ky., that's been selling his tribute to her for decades.

#Americandy #Modjeska #caramel #food #candy #npr

The Goo Goo Cluster, a chocolate-covered bundle of marshmallow, peanuts, and caramel from Tennessee, turns 100 in October. After a long association with Nashville's Grand Ole Opry, the gooey treat is looking for a new audience.

#Americandy #Goo Goo Cluster #candy #food #npr

Washington state is famous for its cherries, but the juicy fruits are available for only a short time each year. Chukar Cherries, based in Prosser, Wash., uses 250,000 pounds of them annually in its dried cherry candies. Fans say Chukar's goodies let the sweet taste of summer last all year.

#Americandy #Chukar Cherries #candy #food #npr

During the long winter months on the eastern shore of Lake Erie, sponge candy is a mainstay. But the temperamental treat isn't available in hot weather, so to get their fix in the summer, fans have to plan in advance.

#Americandy #Sponge candy #candy #food #npr

Needhams are a traditional Maine candy made with chocolate, coconut and an unlikely state staple: potatoes. Maine's official state treat is the whoopie pie, but many still look fondly on the coconutty goodie their grandmothers used to make.

#Americandy #candy #needhams #food #npr