One of my favorite wintertime snacks in China were Tanghulu (糖葫芦). They are basically candied fruits on bamboo skewers. These sweet treats are, as my Mandarin teacher tells it, a Beijing delicacy, and they are widely sold on the streets.
The traditional fruit used for Tanghulu come from the Chinese Hawthorn tree.
I've tried the Chinese hawthorn. They taste a bit like apples.
Nowadays Tanghulu is made up of all sorts of fruits, from strawberries, tomatoes, Chinese hawthorn fruit, oranges, and others.
My favorite is the strawberry, because I don't have to deal with getting rid of seeds, but the Chinese hawthorn fruit is a close second.
Some vendors would sell them wrapped in edible rice paper, which helps get rid of the sweetness of the caramelized sugar (if you don't like them too sweet, that is), but they can get pretty messy to eat. I personally like them without the wrapping.
In Beijing, a stick of strawberries would cost about 8 to 10 RMB. In Xiamen, a stick of five strawberries would range from 2 to 4 RMB. I was lucky I lived in Xiamen, so I was able to save money and not have to worry about what to eat the next morning.
Tanghulus aren't sold in the summer, as far as I know, as the sugar would melt right off.
If you are ever in China in the winter, do try one of these delightful sweet street snacks.
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