China News Agency, Changchun, January 5th, title: Candied haws: sweet and sour, cold and refreshing, bringing out the "new year taste"

　　Author Tan Weiqi

　　The hawthorns are washed, pitted, skewered, put into the boiled syrup and "rolled" a few times, then taken out to cool... It has become the habit of Changchun Jinhui to make a few bunches of candied haws in the cold winter months.

　　Jin Hui, who has lived overseas for many years, said that being able to eat a bunch of sweet and sour candied haws in the severe winter is the same time and taste as when he was a child.

Jin Hui's husband is from North Macedonia. After tasting the candied haws, he was full of praise and felt the charm of Chinese folk cuisine.

　　Candied haws is a common winter snack in northern China. It originated in the Song Dynasty and was not only sold in teahouses, theaters, streets and alleys everywhere in the Qing Dynasty, but also became more and more "protagonist".

According to the records of "Yanjing Sui Shi Ji" in the late Qing Dynasty, "The rock sugar pot is made of bamboo sticks, with grapes, yam beans, crabapple fruits, mountain reds, etc. dipped in rock sugar. It is sweet, crisp and cool. Eating it at night in winter can quite Coal gas..."

　　In modern times, candied haws are more popular in all parts of China.

In the alleys of old Beijing, it is common for hawkers to carry an oval wooden suitcase, shouting "huluer rock candy"; Tianjin people call it "tangduner"; in the south, it is often called "tangqiuer".

In the 1990s, a song "Bingtanghulu" by Heilongjiang singer Feng Xiaoquan was sung across the country.

　　“Traditional candied haws are made in large bunches. The cored or squashed hawthorns are wrapped in sugar syrup, and then sprinkled with white sesame seeds to enhance the fragrance.” Liang Xuefeng, manager of a candied haws specialty store in Changchun, told reporters, “The key to making candied haws is to choose the right ingredients. The hawthorn has a bright red appearance and a moderately sweet and sour taste."

　　Boiling syrup is also a technical job.

"Put the white sugar in the pot, pour the water to cover the white sugar, stir until it melts, and cook on high heat until the syrup froths." Liang Xuefeng said, the steps seem simple, but in fact they test the skills of the sugar cooker. If you don't pay attention, candied haws taste will change.

　　Zhai Hongqi, a Beijing folklore expert, once wrote an article introducing that the old Beijing candied haws paid attention to boiling sugar in a copper pot. After the water in the sugar evaporates, the sugar liquid in the pot will form a layer of foam, which can be dipped.

"It's said to be dipped, but it's actually turned. People in the industry call it 'hanging'. If it's really soaked in sugar solution, it's okay, and the amount of sugar will be two or three times more."

　　"There are customers of all ages who come to the store." Liang Xuefeng said that winter is the peak season for the sale of candied haws. First, it is cold and easy to store, and second, it can bring out the "new year flavor" of the end of the year and the beginning of the year.

　　In Changchun, which is "under the root of the year", the dripping water turns into ice and the cold wind cuts the face, but passers-by on the road still cannot resist the temptation of the string of sugar coating.

Choose a bunch of favorites from the shelf tied with straw straws, and bite off half a hawthorn in one bite. It is sour, sweet and cold, which is the familiar taste.

　　In recent years, various new types of candied haws have become increasingly popular.

Fruits, cucumbers, scallions, peppers...all coated in sugar.

　　In Liang Xuefeng's store, "Only you can't think of it, there's nothing you can't do".

"Mini small skewers are popular now, usually two pieces in a skewer, with various flavors such as cantaloupe, chocolate, and purple sweet potato." According to him, the store's traditional candied haws and more than 30 innovative flavors are very popular, and young customers prefer it Innovation Edition.

　　"For a while, I especially wanted to eat chocolate-flavored candied haws, and I was still asking online where they could sell them." A young customer told the reporter that now the store's chocolate and glutinous rice flavors have become her "favorite".

(use up)