Gou candy - The most famous dish in Chinese historical dramas and interesting stories

Anyone who is a fan of Chinese historical dramas must know about goulash. The image of long skewers of candy with red round balls is held by old men, grandparents, and boys to sell on crowded market scenes with the familiar "candy here!". It can be seen that this candy has been around for a long time and has become a cultural symbol of the Chinese people.

Origin of goulash candy

The Chinese say that, during the Song Dynasty (960-1279), a favored concubine of Emperor Song Guangzong (1147-1200) unfortunately contracted a serious illness. The king summoned all the good doctors to the palace to diagnose the disease, but they did not have a cure.

While the king was in despair, a folk medicine god met and asked the king to let him treat that concubine. The remedy he gave is very simple, which is to wrap hawthorn berries in hot sugar water, eat 5 to 10 tablets before each meal, and you will definitely be cured.

And the result was miraculous, the remedy worked, making the king, the royal doctors and the mandarins in the court very surprised. Then this remedy was also spread in folk, people believe that it is a valuable remedy that can both treat diseases and be a good food for health.

Actually, the original shape of goulash was not like the long candy skewers as it is now. When it was first born, it was just a candy skewer with 2 hawthorns, a small one on the top and a big one at the bottom, looking exactly like gourd, so people gave it that name.

Over time, when dynasties as well as people changed, goulash also had many modifications, that is, a skewer of candy increased from 8 to 10 pieces, but the name of goulash remained the same. China also creatively and diversified the flavor of goulash with other ingredients such as kumquats, chestnuts, dates...

In addition, gourd candies are also more diverse such as: bananas, strawberries, pineapples, kiwis, grapes... Although the original red color of gourd candies are attractive enough, if you add a few modern gourd candies, It makes the candy skewers more colorful and eye-catching.

Street vendors will braid straw into a long pillar, then stick skewers of gourd candy on it, roaming around the city selling. In ancient China, not only children but even the elderly were fascinated with these extremely attractive red candy skewers.

How to make lollipops

The way to make gourd candy is also quite simple. The first is washing, seeding and stringing the deseeded hawthorns onto bamboo sticks. Next is to dip the hawthorn sticks in the hot sugar water (beat the sugar until it is pulled into yarn).

The final stage is to cool to form a hard and crispy crust. Some other ingredients such as sweet potatoes or water chestnuts will be steamed before making gourd. To make the candies beautifully rounded, the hawthorns will be stuffed with green beans or other fillings.

However, the quality of the goulash produced varies depending on the skill of each candy maker. For candy makers, temperature regulation is the most important factor determining the quality of the candy. If the sugar temperature is too low, the candy will stick. If it is too high, the outer layer of the candy will look dark and the taste will also decrease somewhat.

Lucky meaning of goji candy

For the Chinese people in general and the people of Beijing in particular, their childhood is associated with the sweetness of gourd skewers. The sound of bicycles clattering on the dark alleys of Beijing in the early morning mist still lingers around, the red candy skews fluttering with the rhythm of the wheel has become the unmistakable beauty of the city. this city.

In addition to the irresistible sweet taste, the red gourd candies also symbolize good luck and good fortune. Therefore, the Chinese also believe that eating goulash also has the effect of dispelling bad luck and bringing good luck and good fortune to those who eat it.

In addition, the image of round, full and red candies also symbolizes fullness, completeness, and affluence. Therefore, sellers still keep red as the main color of candy skewers but also combine many other colors to make it more attractive and attractive.

Although goulash is a snack that is available all year round in China, but with the above good meaning, this dish is sold even more aggressively at the beginning of the new year. Chinese people also have the habit of buying gourd for young children with the meaning of wishing them good health and good luck.

In particular, the 9th of January every year is also chosen as the date of the goulash festival in Qingdao. The goulash festival usually lasts a whole week and attracts many domestic and foreign tourists to participate.

Candied gourds also appear a lot in art. The Chinese have composed songs about sweet candies and there is a TV series starring the famous actress Tu Cam Ge Wa called Candy Hu Lo. The candy that appears most often in historical films further enhances its special status in the Chinese tradition. Visitors to this historic city also want to taste this exotic candy with a special sense of delight.

The gourd candies are also popular all over China. But in the minds of Chinese people, gourd candies are nowhere near Beijing. Street vendors carry straw poles with many skewers of gourds, roaming around on bicycles, four-wheeled vehicles, carrying colorful colors around the city. The clamor is the sound that makes the biggest difference between these gourd peddlers and other peddlers.

It can be said that this is a special dish that only in China has. The goulash has become a cultural symbol of this country. The processing is simple, but the taste of the candies is extremely delicious, making visitors unable to hold back and will definitely be an unforgettable experience when coming to China.

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