Oscha (Haw Flakes)

Haw flakes are deliciously tart sweets made from the fruit of the Chinese hawthorn tree.

The dark pink candy is formed into thin disks, about a dozen or so of which are packaged as one cylindrical stack or roll. It is eaten and enjoyed by children, usually one disc at a time.

When eating haw flakes with friends, many a Filipino child will role-play a Catholic priest laying a communion wafer on the tongue of a believer because of the similarity of the flake’s shape. The sacramental bread is called Hostia, and Tagalog speakers are referencing this when casually referring to a haw flake as ostiya or oscha.

People in the Caribbean grow up referring to haw flakes as “Chinee Sausage” or “Chinese Communion.”

A popular brand of haw flakes is Sinbo (春興山楂餅).