Tanghulu

Tanghulu (/tɑːŋˈhuːluː/ ) or tang hulu (traditional Chinese: 糖葫蘆; simplified Chinese: 糖葫芦; pinyin: táng húlu; lit. 'sugar calabash'), also called bingtang hulu (冰糖葫蘆; 冰糖葫芦; bīngtáng húlu; 'rock-sugar calabash'), is a traditional Chinese snack consisting of several malt sugar coated fruits of Chinese hawthorn (Crataegus pinnatifida) on a bamboo skewer. It is typically made by skewering hawthorn fruits and coating them in heated sugar syrup, which hardens in the cold. It is named for its calabash-like shape. Tanghulu is called tangdun'er (simplified Chinese: 糖墩儿) in Tianjin, tangqiu (simplified Chinese: 糖球) in Fengyang, Anhui, and tangzhan'er (simplified Chinese: 糖蘸儿) in Shandong. Tanghulu is often mistaken for regular candied fruits; however, it is coated in a hardened sugar syrup. Tanghulu has been made since the Song dynasty and remains popular throughout northern China.
Chinese haw is the traditional fruit used, though in ancient times other fruits were also used. In records from the Qing dynasty, grapes and walnuts were added. The pits and seeds of the hawthorn are emptied and are commonly filled with sweet red bean paste before being skewered and dipped. In modern times, fruit choices have become more diverse, such as cherry tomatoes, mandarin oranges, strawberries, blueberries, pineapples, kiwifruit, and bananas.
Tanghulu is traditionally a Northern Chinese dessert which was especially famous in Beijing, according to numerous Qing dynasty accounts. Folklore attributes its origin to the Southern Song dynasty, when the emperor Song Guangzong (simplified Chinese: 宋光宗) had a beloved imperial concubine named Huang Guifei. One day, when Huang was sick, she refused to eat or drink all day long, and she seemed about to die at any moment. Palace doctors were puzzled as to how to cure her, resulting in Song Guangzong spending an exorbitant amount of money seeking medical help. Later, a doctor came to the palace and treated Huang. He ordered cooks to prepare the hawthorn with rock sugar, advising Huang to take five to ten of them before each meal. Surprisingly, after a few days, Huang gradually recovered. Everyone thought this method was quite novel, so the prescription was passed down. Later, people began to string the fruit together and sell it on the street. Modern tanghulu is still prepared in the same way, but is skewered on bamboo.
Depending on the fruit used, tanghulu can be rich in vitamin C, pectin and chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, maslinic acid, oleanolic acid, quercetin, ursolic acid, chrysin, epicatechin and other organic acids and nutritional elements. Chinese Hawthorn may have medicinal effects, such as reducing the effects of constipation and dysentery and lowering blood lipids and cholesterol, and its medicinal properties have been widely asserted in Chinese Medicine books. However, due to its high sugar content, long-term consumption may be unsuitable for diabetics or people with other health conditions.
Each skewer is reported to contain about 20 to 30 grams of sugar, which is close to the recommended daily sugar intake. High amounts of sugar can cause diabetes.
In Incheon and other areas with a high Chinese population, shops selling tanghulu have existed in the country since the early 2000s. In early 2023, tanghulu went viral on YouTube Shorts and TikTok in South Korea. Although the origin of the trend is uncertain, some people on the Internet attribute it to Miniyu, a Korean ASMR YouTuber. Gen Z and millennials were the primary audiences seen lining up for the dessert. It garnered 210,000 tags on Instagram. The number of stores in South Korea increased from 50 to 300 stores within the span of six months. Its popularity has been attributed to high population density in metropolitan areas of South Korea where tanghulu may be sold, and the ease at which it is able to be made by businesses or at home.
In 2023, a senator from the Democratic Party of Korea summoned the president of Wangga Tanghulu, one of the leading brands of tanghulu, during a national inspection over the issue of extreme sugar intake and diabetes among children and youth, which had increased 20% just within two years.
Tanghulu skewers and paper cups are often found littered on the streets of South Korea. Even when disposed of properly, skewers pierce garbage bags. Businesses, such as internet cafes, noraebangs, and restaurants, have been seen to display "No Tanghulu Zone" signs, banning people from eating or bringing tanghulu into their establishment due to litter.
Demand declined in 2024 due to changing trends. As the season changed to winter, people started to prefer warm desserts, such as bungeo-ppang. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety reported that 76 tanghulu stores closed in early May, higher than the number of stores closed at the same time last year.