Tang hu lu

Tang hu lu

Tang hu lu (Chinese: 糖葫芦; pinyin: táng húlú; literally "sugar gourd"), also called bīng táng húlú (冰糖葫芦; bīng meaning "ice"), is a popular traditional winter snack in northern China, especially in Beijing, and particularly for children. It consists of candied fruits on bamboo skewers that are approximately 20cm long. This snack can be found widely along the snack street of Wangfujing but there are street vendors who travel from place to place selling it.

Tang hu lu typically has a hardened sugar coating but versions can also be found with a second chocolate coating, or sprinkles. The fruits used are traditionally Chinese hawthorn (Crataegus pinnatifida, called shānzhā, 山楂 in Chinese) but in recent times vendors have also used strawberries, blueberries, pineapples, kiwifruit, or grapes, resembling a fruit kebab.