Dragon's Beard Candy

When I look up English name of today's dessert, I was surprised by a variety of translations. I chose " Dragon's Beard Candy" because it corresponds its Chinese name best. I remember when I tasted this candy first time, I was in elementary school and I fell in love with this special candy immediately. It is a handmade traditional art of China. It is also a traditional Chinese sweet similar to spun sugar, which can be found in many Chinese communities. However, it is more common in southern part of China.

Dragon's beard candy has been described as an old-fashioned candy characterized by a "rich, sweet flavor" with a threaded, chewy texture. To be honest, I didn't know the history of this traditional Chinese style dessert. I think it's very interesting after I read a little story about it. "The legend of Dragon's Beard Candy was first notably practiced during the Chinese Han Dynasty.As the story recounts, an imperial court chef entertained the Emperor one day by performing steps involved in making a new confection. The process of making the candy involved stretching a dough-like mixture composed from rice flour into small, thin strands. These strands reminded the Emperor of a dragon's beard, and were sticky enough to adhere to one's face quite easily, so thus the concoction was there-forth named as Dragon's Beard Candy. The name may also be attributed to the status of the mythical dragon as a symbol of the Chinese Emperor, so presenting the confection as Dragon's Beard Candy was deemed acceptable due to the social nature of the candy, as it was reserved only for the ruling class, likely due additionally to the complexity of the preparation process."

Nowadays, Dragon's Beard candy gradually retreat from people's vision. Many young people or children prefer western desserts, which is sad.