Airplane olive
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Airplane olives (traditional Chinese: 甘草欖 or 飛機欖; simplified Chinese: 甘草榄 or 飞机榄; pinyin: Gān Cǎo Lǎn or Fēi Jī Lǎn), also known as liquorice olive or Chinese olive,[1] is a traditional and popular snack in Hong Kong and Guangzhou.[1][2] The snack is made from pickled Chinese olives (Canarium album and/or Canarium pimela) flavoured with liquorice, salt and various herbs,[1] and has the appearance of a dark-green paste covered in oil, having an umami flavour and a silky but layered texture.[1] The name "airplane olive" originates in the 1950s–1970s, from a custom of street vendors throwing the snack to customers above to their homes, commonly tong lau, who would then throw money down for payment.[1][3] As tong lau across Hong Kong were replaced with newer buildings, this custom has gradually vanished.[1] The man who created the airplane olive was named "Uncle Kei", nicknamed "Mr. Airplane Olive" for his invention of this street food.[3] Nowadays, this street food can be found in shops on Hau Wong Road, Kowloon City.[1]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Explainer | What's in a Chinese olive? The history behind the congee ingredient". South China Morning Post. 4 June 2025. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
- ↑ 虎威 (February 2000). 看松读画. 玲子传媒 Lingzi Media. p. 38. ISBN 9814127353.
- 1 2 "Gan cao lan | Traditional Snack From Hong Kong | TasteAtlas". www.tasteatlas.com. Retrieved 23 March 2026.