What Is Tanghulu, and Why Is It All Over The Internet?
The Chinese treat has been a popular snack for centuries.
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Tanghulu, a surreally shiny, candied fruit treat from northern China, is having a bit of a moment right now. The treat dates all the way back to the Song dynasty, which lasted from 960 to 1279 A.D. These days, it’s all over social media. Even K-Pop stars Jennie and Jisoo of BLACKPINK are fans.
For those who are unfamiliar, tanghulu is a fruit skewer coated in a clear, hardened sugar syrup. It was originally made with sour hawthorn berries, but you can use any fruit you’d like. Even cherry tomatoes are fair game. The snack is typically sold from street carts in northern China during the winter — the sugar shell tends to melt in summer heat — but today it's sold throughout China, Japan, Korea and many American cities.
To make tanghulu at home, you’ll need to prep your fruit skewers, bring the syrup to a boil in a saucepan, then carefully dip the skewers one at a time to coat. Set them over a baking sheet for about 10 minutes to let the shell harden. Adding corn syrup to a standard simple syrup helps the coating set correctly.
Need more inspiration? Turn to TikTok. Recipes, and even videos of people simply eating tanghulu, have received tens of millions of views on the platform. For example, this recipe from @cookingwithlynja has 44 million views; this one from Abi Marquez is up to 31 million, and this nearly two-minute-long video of @yardenjoseph eating grape tanghulu has 26 million views.
The attention shouldn’t be surprising; tanghulu is fun to eat, visually striking and larger than life. The shine and clarity of the sugar coating makes familiar fruits like strawberries look like jewels. Centering fresh produce also means tanghulu is literally and figuratively a transparent dessert, as opposed to most manufactured snacks.
Most of all, eating tanghulu is a visceral experience. The crunch of the shell is perfect for ASMR videos. Tapping two skewers together or drumming acrylic nails against the outer layer lets you hear how solid it is and makes you want to bite in.
Tanghulu is like an upgraded version of fruit; it’s a way to make everyday ingredients feel special and exciting, while keeping things simple. Ready to taste it?
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