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Alternative names | UFOs |
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Place of origin | Belgium, UK |
Main ingredients | Sherbet and rice paper |
Flying saucers (Flemish : Zure ouwels) or UFOs are small spheroidal wafer capsules filled with sherbet. [1] [2]
The first flying saucers were produced in the early 1950s when an Antwerp-based producer of communion wafers, Belgica, faced a decline in demand for their product. Astra Sweets, which purchased the Belgica brand, continues to manufacture flying saucers in the present day.
Flying saucers are officially registered as a traditional product of Flanders. [3] They are also well known in the United Kingdom; their popularity in the country from the 1960s to the 1970s was attributed to the Space Race and an increased interest in science fiction. [2]
They remain a popular sweet in Belgium and the United Kingdom. Flying saucers came 12th in a 2009 poll among adults for 'Britain's top sweets' [4] and experienced a resurgence in popularity, along with other traditional sweets, in the 2010s. [5] [6] They have also been featured on lists of vegan sweets for Halloween. [7] They were also a popular sweet in Ireland. [8]