Anka Biscuit
In preparation for writing this post, I turned to my Internet best friend, Google. And I can’t believe I’m about to type this, but Google let me down. See, I was trying to find out what anka is, seeing as how it’s the name of this biscuit and the first ingredient listed on the box. But I couldn’t find any decent information about this mysterious item/ingredient. I did, however, find millions of results for singer Paul Anka, whom I’m not going to discuss further because I so do not want any of his songs stuck in my head.
I love snacks, biscuits and cookies especially, that come in little packs like these. It makes it easy to eat one pack at a time. Or three.
I was pleasantly surprised by how these biscuits tasted. They were light and mildly sweet, with a hint of sesame. The biscuits would complement a cup of tea nicely.
If anyone knows what anka is, please share.
Oh my goodness, I’ve never heard of that either (and Wikipedia just now let me down as well! haha). Your description sounds yummy. I must keep that product in mind.
Lian: Wikipedia is also a good friend of mine, but one I find to be not as reliable as Google.
Anka biscuits make a good snack if you’re wanting something relatively plain tasting; they’re not nearly as strongly flavored as Pop-Pan Spring Onion Crackers.
- Cindy
Found Some info….I’ve been currious too, these biscuits are yummy.
?Anka Biscuits: Anka Biscuits are biscuits made from fresh antioxidant red yeast and winemaking red yeast. This product is derived from red yeast wine, which the company also makes. Red yeast contains highly nutritious substances and contributes to good health. Its color and taste are bright and festive and it contains natural vitalizing substances. It is for these reasons that TTLC began to develop red yeast related products.
Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation
Originally a subsidiary government enterprise, Taiwan Tobacco and Wine Monopoly Bureau was reorganized to Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation in 2002. In addition to tobacco and liquor, the company has been developing other merchandise in recent years and has developed a multitude of different products.
SAH: So Anka Biscuits are made from red yeast wine?! Interesting! Thank you very much for finding this information—now I know where the biscuits’ lovely pink color comes from.
- Cindy
Anka is red yeast rice. Anka is probably derived Ang-Kak, one of many names for red yeast rice. Red yeast rice contains monocolin K, the exact chemical in the cholesterol lowing drug, Lovastatin. Red yeast rice has been clinically shown to reduce cholesterol level.
I have received a few packages of this biscuit from a friend in Taiwan. As SAH pointed out, this product is indeed produced in Taiwan by Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corp (TTL for short, seen on the package). More information for the manufacturer was printed on the other side of the package but unfortunately, only in Chinese. This product may only be intended for Taiwan domestic consumption.
SIYW: So red yeast rice it is! My thanks to you and SAH for helping to solve the anka mystery. I had to ask a friend who reads Chinese where the box of biscuits was from, because it wasn’t stated in English anywhere on the box. I think it’s a fairly new item in stores (a Japanese supermarket I saw it at actually labeled it as a new item, heh).
- Cindy
Now go forth and make with the wiki! Wikipedia must be complete!
StoneMaven: Oh, I ain’t messing with Wikipedia. I’m fine with just reading and half believing it.
Can you tell me how can I buy the Anka Biscuit by mail? We can buy a box or a few boxes one time. I never eat such a good taste biscuit in my whole life. My whole family like it so much.
I am an overseas Taiwanese. I leave in New Orleans and we don’t have any Taiwanese store here except small asia grocery store or small supermarket catering for Vienanese. I couldn’t find the biscuit in Amazone by through keyword search.
Thanks
-Steven
Steven Jang: I apologize for not responding to you sooner; I somehow overlooked your comment. I don’t know of any online retailers who sell this Anka Biscuit. I have a feeling that it’s not a well-known item in the U.S. Maybe you can contact a couple of online retailers who sell Asian items (such as Asian Food Grocer and Very Asia) to ask if you can order it from them.
Yes .. I just waded through a bunch of Paul Anka to get to you …. I bought a package of these crackers in Chinatown, San Francisco … a great tasting cracker ( so too the Pop-Pan Spring Onion:) … I wonder how much the red yeast rice is lowering my colesterol … as the rice pumps up my blood sugar … good thing they come in small packs.
Yacatecuhtli: Hmm, was the Paul Anka journey a good or bad thing?
Thanks for letting us know that these Anka Biscuits are available in San Francisco’s Chinatown because I think some people are searching for it. And I think the small packs are a good and a bad thing.
“and Wikipedia just now let me down as well!”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_yeast_rice
“Red yeast rice (Chinese: ???, ???; pinyin: hóng qú m?; lit. “red yeast rice”), red fermented rice, red kojic rice, red koji rice, anka, or ang-kak, is a bright reddish purple fermented rice, which acquires its colour from being cultivated with the mold Monascus purpureus.”
Anka biscuit is the Gold Winner on biscuit/snacks products.
Unfortunately, Anka is regarded as a medicinal ingredient by FDA and Health Canada and cannot be used as an ingredient in North America…
Hi all – I nkow this was posted a year ago but I just bought these biscuits at a Chinese market. I didn’t know what it was either but the box was so intriguing. Also being the culinary adventurist that I am, I decided to get them just to try. They were 1.49 so that didn’t hurt either.
I Googled and the product came up on Amazon – 2 boxes for just under $10. Whoa – I thought I got a deal before but didn’t know how great a deal till just now.
Judy: Wow, has it been just over a year already since this post? Thanks for letting us know that you were able to buy it—I assume you’re in the U.S.? I bought it for a bit more than you, for around $2.
Thanks also for the Amazon.com-availability heads-up. I cannot believe it’s selling for almost $10 on the site, though. And incidentally, those are my two photos they ‘borrowed’, LOL.
Oh how nice! I saw it on sale at Carrefour Feng Shan, Kaohsiung this evening, and thought I should come back to google it before I buy it.
I’ll definitely have to go back and get it. Wikipedia says this Anka thing (aka Manascus) also lowers cholesterol, and it was branded as a drug by US Drug and Food Admin too.
I have high cholesterol, lovely to have these Manascus Anka cookies with tea, and reduce cholesterol this way!
red yeast wine — I saw this as a face mask in Macau too. Wonder if anyone knows where to buy this red yeast in non-cookie form. I suspect it would work wonders if the real red yeast is used as a facial mask.
Lily: You’ve got me wondering how versatile red yeast wine is. And I agree with your statement, “…lovely to have these Manascus Anka cookies with tea, and reduce cholesterol this way!”
I’m so jealous! I LOVE Anka biscuit but I just can’t find any here in the US. May I know where did you buy it?
Hi Shin Yie,
Oh so sorry, I got mine in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. I just moved here for a teaching assignment at I-Shou University!
Hope you can find it in the USA. Which state are you living in?
Lily