{"id":110383,"title":"Tanghulu","modified":"2025-10-29T17:08:59+01:00","plain":"What are tanghulu? \n\n\n\nIn Europe we have the candy apple, but in China you\u2019ll find candied strawberries, clementines, grapes\u2026 To keep it simple, just say \u201ctanghulu.\u201d So what are they? Tanghulu are a sweet little snack you can find everywhere in China, from tiny roaming food trucks to grand Michelin-starred restaurants.\n\n\n\nPut simply, tanghulu is a simple idea: a dessert made of one or more pieces of fruit threaded onto a skewer and coated in a crackly sugar shell. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nOrigins of Tanghulu\n\n\n\nTo trace tanghulu\u2019s origins, travel back to the Song Dynasty (960\u20131279). A legend surrounds their creation\u2014shall I tell it? Keep scrolling; it\u2019s worth it\u2026 \n\n\n\nAre tanghulu healthy?\n\n\n\nLet\u2019s be honest: not really. They\u2019re very sugary. But like any treat, enjoyed in moderation they\u2019re perfectly fine. \n\n\n\nFancy tanghulu\n\n\n\nThe legend behind tanghulu\n\n\n\nAccording to legend, to treat one of Emperor Guangzong\u2019s concubines, a doctor prescribed eating around ten hawthorn berries soaked in sugar syrup before each meal. Two weeks later, she was much better. Word of this miraculous remedy spread quickly among the people, including merchants, who saw a great business opportunity.\n\n\n\nThey began dipping hawthorn berries threaded onto bamboo skewers into syrup, and tanghulu was born! Even today, many people in China buy tanghulu not to eat right away, but to take them home in the hope they\u2019ll bring good luck. \n\n\n\nThe best fruits for making tanghulu\n\n\n\nThe original tanghulu\u2014the one from the legend\u2014uses hawthorn berries. Not a fan of hawthorn? Your safest bet is strawberries. Another go-to fruit is apples: not only do they mimic hawthorn\u2019s crisp bite, they also give you a burst of sweet juice with every crunch. Lately, grapes have earned a spot among tanghulu favorites too. Give them a try!\n\n\n\nQuick tanghulu recipe\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\tTanghulu\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t200 g granulated sugar150 ml water200 g strawberries\t\n\t\n\t\tMelt the sugar in the water over medium heat.As soon as it turns golden, dip the strawberries\u2014or any other fruit\u2014into it.\t\n\t\n\t\tA quick tip to prevent burning: dip the bottom of the saucepan in cold water. Use the brief moment when the caramel is still fluid to dip your best fruit, skewered on a stick. And that\u2019s it\u2014you\u2019ve got tanghulu! Maybe just avoid eating about ten of them before every meal for two weeks\u2026\n\t\n\t\n\t\tDessert, SnackChinoise","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110383","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=110383"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110383\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":110616,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110383\/revisions\/110616"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10887"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=110383"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=110383"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=110383"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}