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Li hing mui is salty dried plum. It can be found in Hawaiian and Asian markets. It has a strong, distinctive flavor, and is often said to be an acquired taste for many. The li hing mui is said to be an acquired taste because it has the combination of sweet, sour, and salty taste. Some people also say that it tastes tart, and some even tangy. Originally from China, the name “Li Hing Mui” means “traveling plum”. “Li hing” is “traveling” and “mui” is “plum.” Li hing mui was brought to the Hawaiian Islands by Yee Sheong, an Asian immigrant. Li hing mui is good for dry and scratchy throats, as it will help you salivate.

Li Hing Powder
The red powder (the shade of red depends on the retailer), called li hing powder that covers the dried plum can be sold separately. Li hing powder is used for many things, but is mainly used to sprinkle different items, such as fruits like apples and pineapples. The keiki (children) of Hawaii also like to put li hing powder on almost everything. They put it on sour gummy bears, sour gummy worms, sour watermelon, sour patch keiki (also known as sour patch kids), sour apple, and rock candy. They even put it on popcorn, and like to add Japanese rice crackers called arare (also known as kakimochi and mochi crunch. They also put the li hing powder on the arare.

Li Hing Powder Uses
Li hing powder is also good for sore throats; put some into either a glass of water, or some soda, (lemon-lime sodas work the best; sodas like 7-UP, Sprite, and Sierra Mist) and drink it and your throat will be feeling much better after a few minutes.

Li Hing Powder in Bars
Recently, people have also been putting li hing powder into their alcoholic drinks—mainly tequila and cocktails. 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 sometimes tangy twist. Many bars in Hawaii also rim their glasses with li hing powder in addition to putting it in the drink.

About Li Hing Mui
Li hing mui is known as “crack seed”, and is known for the Yick Lung brand. Li hing mui is extremely addictive if you know and like the taste of either the seed itself or the powder. Yick Lung is apparently the original brand of li hing mui that was ever released, and is said to be the best brand. After trying and getting accustomed to the Yick Lung brand li hing mui, other brands may not seem as good as it did before trying Yick Lung li hing mui.

Li Hing Cancer Scare
There was also a scare about li hing products; many people believed that li hing products could cause cancer. Dr. Landis Lum, a family-practice physician from Kaiser Permanente explained about li hing powder and cancer in The Honolulu Advertiser, a newspaper from Hawaii. You can read the article at this site, but Dr. Lum mainly explains that li hing products often include the artificial sweetener, aspartame. Aspartame is not linked to any cancer risk. However, eating dried, smoked, and salted foods for a long time increases the risk of getting stomach cancer. Dr. Lum says that he’s not sure whether it’s the salt, nitrates, bacteria, or a lower fruit or vegetable intake that causes the stomach cancer, but he knows that the salt and sugar from li hing mui can increase blood pressure and cause tooth decay.