Pídàn Dòufu
Century Egg Tofu
CHINA
If you’ve ever scrolled through food videos and spotted glistening, jewel-like fruit on a stick encased in a glass-like sugar shell, you’ve seen tanghulu — one of China’s most beloved street foods. This iconic skewered treat has a history stretching back nearly a thousand years, and it’s still winning hearts (and taste buds) around the world today.
Tanghulu (糖葫芦, táng húlu) is a traditional Chinese candied fruit snack made by skewering fresh fruit — most classically hawthorn berries — and dipping the skewers into boiling sugar syrup that hardens into a thin, crackling candy shell. The result is a satisfying contrast of tart fruit and sweet crunch.
Modern versions use all kinds of fruit, including strawberries, green grapes, mandarin oranges, and kiwi, making it as versatile as it is delicious.
The history of tanghulu dates back to the Song Dynasty (960–1279 AD), making it over 800 years old. According to popular legend, a favorite concubine of Emperor Guangzong fell gravely ill and lost her appetite. Court physicians were stumped — until a folk doctor prescribed a simple remedy: hawthorn berries boiled with rock sugar, eaten before meals.
The concubine recovered, and the recipe spread from the imperial palace to the streets of China. Vendors began threading hawthorn berries onto bamboo skewers and coating them in hardened sugar syrup, making them easy to carry, sell, and eat on the go. The skewer format was not just practical — it became the defining characteristic of tanghulu, transforming a medicinal fruit preparation into a portable street food snack.
By the Qing Dynasty (1644–1912), tanghulu had become a staple of Chinese winter street food culture, particularly in northern cities like Beijing and Tianjin. Vendors would carry tall bundles of skewers wrapped in straw, hawking their wares through hutong alleyways as temperatures dropped. The cold air actually helped — it made the sugar coating harden faster and stay crisp longer.
The skewered presentation took on cultural significance too. The layered arrangement of round fruits on a stick was said to resemble a string of pearls or a gourd (húlu), symbols of good fortune and abundance in Chinese tradition.
In recent years, tanghulu has exploded in popularity far beyond China’s borders. Social media platforms have propelled the visually stunning snack into a global food trend, with videos of the sugar-dipping process racking up millions of views. You’ll now find tanghulu vendors at night markets, food festivals, and Asian street food pop-ups across North America, Europe, and Southeast Asia.
The classic hawthorn berry version remains beloved, but modern twists — like strawberry and green grape skewers — have broadened its appeal to new audiences.
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