I was first introduced to Botan Rice Candy when I lived in Hawaii. There is a great deal of Asian influence in the Hawaiian Islands. You will find Asian products more readily available at the corner store, as opposed to visiting a specialty store. These sweet little treats are available at Asian Food Markets, or if you are lucky, you may find it at your local Chinese Restaurant.

Botan Rice Candy might be considered the Cracker Jack’s of Asia. They come with a small prize inside. The small box normally runs about one dollar, and contains six small candies. The candies come in a plastic outer wrapper, and are wrapped again with a plastic-like inner wrapper which is edible. The inner wrapper melts in your mouth when you pop the candy in. The candy itself is a chewy sweet slightly citrus candy that melts as you chew it. The texture is different from caramel or taffy, somewhat softer and dissolving a bit quicker. The flavor is also a lot less intense than chews that we in America are more accustomed to. I would point to Starburst, Now and Laters or Mambo Chews which all have strong flavorings. The light pleasant flavoring in the Botan Rice Candy is a nice change from the stronger flavorings I’m used to.

I’ve only seen one type of packaging for Botan Rice Candy. This packaging is very distinct. The small box is red and green with a kitten and a flower on the front and a fat kid on the back (I don‘t know how else to describe it). The box contains ¾ ounce of candy. If you consider the price per pound, the total would be over twenty dollars a pound. I guess that’s why you only get six pieces in a box. Although the price is high for what you get, the ingredients are not very exotic. This candy contains Glucose syrup (cornstarch, water), sugar, sweet rice, water, lemon flavor, orange flavor, FD&C Red No. 40. Yes, that is sweet rice in the ingredients…hence the name rice candy. Now I know you might be thinking that rice is a disgusting ingredient to include in candy, but I can not even tell that there is rice in this candy. The flavor is mostly sweetness, with a hint of the citrus flavors.

Surprisingly, the Nutritional Information is not contained on the side of the box. There is a note that says you should call a number to obtain nutritional information. The number is not in service. Strange, indeed! In order to provide some information regarding nutrition, I checked several sources, all to no avail. However, I did find an entry at Wikipedia that claims that this candy has 1 calorie from fat, 5 mg sodium, 18 grams carbohydrates, grams sugar and 0 grams protein. However, there is no indication on how many servings per box. The nutritional information in Botan Rice Candy must be one of the Ancient Secrets of the Orient!

My Opinion of Botan Rice Candy is very favorable. It’s nice to try something different every once in a while. These candies are also very popular with the kids! The edible wrapper and prize are enough to keep the kids amused…even if the prize is a stupid tattoo. Kids like the weirdest things sometimes. My only complaint is that you can’t really tell the expiration date by looking at the box…if you get stale candy you will know immediately. The normally tender flavorful candy takes on a stiff crusty texture that is not very appealing. I would rate Botan Rice Candy five stars out of a possible five. I should say…they are Celestial!

This review is part of Dianapinions Best Little Write Off.

Recommended: Yes