Now, I think this is more from Beijing rather than Chongqing, but we saw these on the streets here today. These were those things that the kids were eating in Farewell My Concubine, right? I didn't quite know what to expect. I figured that they would be sweet, but I also imagined them to have the firm consistency of apples or something. Instead, these things were crunchy on the outside due to the candy coating, but much softer on the inside to the point that it was mushy. And there were seeds inside these things, thus making it rather difficult for me to figure out if I were trying to spit out fragments of the hard candy coating, or if it were the seeds themselves.
Taste-wise, they were mildly tangy, thus reminding me a bit of those little paper-wrapped Haw Flakes. Were these the original haw fruit or something? I always wondered what haw was before they processed them into those dry cylindrical disks. Anyway, I have no idea what the Chinese name for this is, but these were RMB 2 (US$0.25) a stick, and seemed to be quite popular among kids, just as a lollipop should be.
6 comments:
hi, I've long enjoyed your blog, and your entries have inspired me to recently start a blog of my own. I have tried these little candied things and yes you are right, they are candied haw fruit, from which those little reddish flat disks are made.
hi,
thot that they are fresh honey dates that are seasoned. i've tried them in Yunnan. Very sweet but taste good.
NTUC sells the fresh version. Taste like crunchy apples.
Enjoyed your blog, hungry boy
I believe they're called Bing Tang Hu Lu. I've tried it when I was in Beijing outside the Forbidden City. Frankly, they look more delicious and interesting than they actually are. I only liked the crispy candy coating, not the fruit inside. The seeds inside were also a pain, cuz I was walking along the streets and had nowhere to spit them.
Besides these... the stall also sold other types candied fruits on skewers.
If you get the chance, try the fruit versions. Strawberry, mandarin orange and plum are my favourites. Some stalls sell haw stuffed with red bean paste too.
My mother always had these treats as a child. She's been urging me to go back to China to try some of these. xD
Too bad they're not available anywhere else, are they?
I didn't quite like the haw version, but the ones with fresh strawberries, segments of mandarin oranges, even fresh cherry tomatoes are to die for. I must have eaten them every other day in Beijing!
Post a Comment