Chinese

Bingtanghulu 冰糖葫芦

If you walk down a street in Beijing in winter, you might see people selling skewers packed with shiny, glazed fruits on the street. These treats are called ‘bingtanghulu’; 'bingtang' means crystallised sugar, and 'hulu' refers to the gourd-like shape of hawthorns, the sour fruit traditionally used to make this snack. So 'bingtanghulu' roughly means fruit covered in a hard, sugary shell.

As a special treat for their efforts in our Food and Drink unit in Year 8 Chinese, our students have been given the opportunity to make tasty bingtanghulu in Chinese classes this term. 

Since the hawthorns aren't commonly available in local markets and shops, we used blueberries, strawberries and raspberries in this recipe. Students took turns to poke skewers through 2-4 favourite fruits, while waiting for the sugar on the stovetop to turn a golden brown colour. Students then dipped the skewered fruits into the sugary syrup, which hardened around the fruit as it cooled.

Some classes were also able to use the left-over syrup to make miniature sugar sculptures, also often bought from Chinese markets in the winter. We all enjoyed the taste and the extra energy from our sweet winter treats!

Jane Walker

Leader of Languages