Dispatch 1. Guazi (瓜子)
Field notes from: Tong Li supermarket, snacks aisle
Flavoured toasted sunflower seeds. My Mexican mother was sceptical about this item, but it ended up winning her snacking-loving heart.
You can find these flavoured roasted sunflower seeds at Coles or Woolworths, as well as in Asian retail stores, which stock a wider variety of flavours. They come tightly packed in vacuum-sealed bags, and even some good instructions on how to eat them are on the back.
I am too familiar with eating in-shell seeds. Back in Mexico, pumpkin seeds in the shell are sold toasted and salted on the streets, so salted that your lips feel like they just got Botox. I confess, I stopped shelling the pumpkin seeds and just eat them as a whole… more fibre, less work.
But eating sunflower seed shells is a no-no, so you have to shell them. Now this is where this snack is different from a bowl of crisps, the sunflower seeds slow down the eating pace and so become just a really nice complement to a chat, a beer, gossip, or just thinking about life.
From the package, you will notice this is a Chinese product.
China has a long history of seed snacking. Watermelon and melon seeds were the preferred snacks for centuries. Sunflower seeds were not present in China until the the Ming Dynasty (14th to 17th century), when they were brought from USA through the Silk Road. But the seeds didn’t secure their prime snacking spot until the 1950s, when China launched specialised breeding programs. Nowadays, “guazi” (瓜子), is the popular term for sunflower seeds, although it is the orignal term for melon seeds. If you want to learn more about the history of sunflower seeds in China, check out this Ancient War History entry.
ChaCha (QiaQia) is today the largest exporter of snacking flower seeds to the world, reaching over 50 countries, with defined ranges for North America, Asia and Oceania. They stock different flavours: pecan, spiced, caramel, truffle, coffee, sea salt. But ChaCha was not the first to flavour them; in its early days as a prominent snack, it was flavoured with sandal smoke, salt, or soy sauce.
How can a toasted sunflower seed be flavoured? I’m glad you ask.
The seasoning is only covering the shell. Every time you take one to your mouth to crack, that seasoning starts building up. That means the flavour is not utterly strong from the beginning, but builds up without being overwhelming. The seed's soft, nutty flavour is the best base for a large range of flavours. My favourites so far: pecan and coconut <3
Like other traditional snacks, guazi's popularity has plateaued, and ChaCha has reported a softening in sunflower seed production. Which makes me question, are they relevant to Gen Z? From the articles read, there is a plateau in the sunflower seed consumption. Younger people are not interested in their grandparents’ products or retail channels, as observed in other latitudes and categories. Chinese Gen Z is a heavy consumer of instant retail and fun offers, areas where other brands like Three Squirrels have been more prominent. ChaCha wil have to find the right game to keep their guazi relevant in the coming years.
But for me, the guazi are a great find, and I will be sending some bags to my mom in Mexico City. If you've been hesitant to buy one of these bags, buy one, get together with a friend, and spill the tea while cracking some seeds.
Enjoy!
References:
https://www.ocl-journal.org/articles/ocl/full_html/2022/01/ocl210062/ocl210062.html
https://news.cqnews.net/1/detail/1174716616586489856/web/content_1174716616586489856.htm
https://finance.sina.com.cn/cj/2025-04-28/doc-ineustaw9118142.shtml
https://finance.sina.com.cn/roll/2025-02-28/doc-inemzyrc5407203.shtml%20