Li hing mui, known as huamei in mainland China, is salty dried Chinese plum (Prunus mume). It has a strong, distinctive flavor and is often said to be an acquired taste, as it has a combination of sweet, sour, and salty taste.[1] Originally from Guangdong Province, the name "li hing mui" means "traveling plum". "Li hing" is "traveling" and "mui" is "plum" in Cantonese.[2] Li hung mui is called hoshiume (dried plum) in Japan, where the salty and sour umeboshi is also popular. Li hing mui, along with li hing powder, is extremely popular as a snack in Hawaii.[3]
Li hing mui powder is made of ground plum skin that has previously been pickled in a combination of licorice, red food coloring, salt, sugar, and occasionally aspartame and or saccharine. It can be used as a flavoring, usually sprinkled on candy and other fruits, notably pineapples, mangoes, guavas and apples. Li hing mui powder can be found in Hawaii, where local children like to put it on shave ice, sour candy, rock candy, popcorn, fruit, and arare.[4]
Recently, people have also been putting li hing powder into their alcoholic drinks—mainly tequila and cocktails.[5] [6] Many bars in Hawaii replace salt with this powder, since this powder is not only salty, but sweet and sour as well. Other people also feel that it gives a tart and tangy twist. Many bars in Hawaii also rim their glasses with li hing powder in addition to putting it in the drink.
Besides li hing powder, the whole li hing mui (red plum seed) is added directly to a bottle of tequila, filling the bottle at least half way with the plum seeds. After a few weeks, the li hing plums will impart its reddish color and flavor to the tequila, fully transferring their flavor to the drink.
Note that li hing powder is used on different plum varieties, and it comes in different colors. The "red" powder is popular on fruits and assorted red plum varieties. A "white" powder version is more commonly used on dried/dehydrated plums.
In China, huamei are often found in bottles of rice wine, like olives in a martini.
Li hung mui is also found in Korea and Japan.
Li hung mui was introduced to Japan from China through Okinawa, and was simply called Hoshiume (干し梅, dried plum). Its import, however, was stopped soon, as cyclamate was found being used. As the dried plum using candyleaf was developed in 1981 by such confectionaries as Uema Confectionary in Okinawa,[7] it has become popular among the Japanese. It is now found in the local supermarkets in Japan.
See main article: Kiamoy. Li hing mui were introduced to the Philippines during the Spanish colonial period by Chinese Filipino immigrants. They are known in Filipino as kiamoy (spelled ciamoy in Philippine Spanish). The name is derived from Philippine Hokkien . The li hing mui powder mixture (anise, licorice, salt, sugar, and powdered plum seeds) was also introduced and is sold separately as kiam-muy-hoon (or simply "kiamoy powder"). The powder is used as an ingredient in cooking, as coating for the dish kiamoy chicken, or as dips for fruits like pomelo and unripe or pickled mango. A locally developed variant of kiamoy is known as champóy which uses the native berry Myrica rubra (also locally known as champóy).[8] [9]
See main article: Crack seed. Li hing mui was introduced to the Polynesian islands of Hawaii, Tahiti and Samoa in the late 19th century by Chinese labourers working in the plantations.[10] It is typically eaten in powdered form, sprinkled over fruits such as mango or ambarella and other desserts. It is known locally as English: [[crack seed]] in Hawaii, Samoan: Simoi in the Samoan islands and French: bonbon chinois in French Polynesia. Li hing mui achieved popularity in Hawaii by Yee Sheong, who in early 1900 began importing li hing mui and various other preserved fruits, from China to Hawaii. Yee thus started the li hing mui craze, which flourished with the company he founded, Yick Lung. Li hing mui can be found in Hawaiian and Asian markets.[11]
In the 70s, a popular gift for Hawaiian kids were the Yick Lung crack seed leis.
See main article: Saladitos and Chamoy (Sauce). Li hing mui (as ciamoy) were introduced to Mexico by Filipino migrants via the Manila Galleons (1565 to 1815). These developed into the Mexican treat saladitos and the chamoy sauce derived from it.[9] [12] [13]