Entering the winter, the streets and alleys of the north have a traditional snack, rock sugar gourd! Strings, clusters; bright red, shining; carts for sale, shoulders for sale. The roar came and went: Sugar gourd... Sugar gourd... Rock sugar gourd... Three pieces a bunch..., the crunchy sound seems to be like the bite of the sugar gourd, crunchy sweet...
For northerners, sugar gourds are all too familiar, especially for elderly people. When the elderly were young, the family was poor and the population was large, and it was a very luxurious thing for children to eat a string of sugar gourds, and the general children could not eat it, and the more things they could not eat, the more hungry they were! Dad used to talk about eating sugar gourds when he was a child. When Dad was a child, there were many children in the family, and it was difficult to eat a full meal, let alone buy a string of sugar gourds. Grandpa, who was running outside once, came home for the New Year and bought a string of sugar gourds for the children who were waiting for him to come home. Although there was only one string, the red was dipped in syrup, and the sunlight was crystal clear, looking at the delightful person.
Dad took the sugar gourd from his grandfather, and several sisters surrounded him, looking at the string of sugar gourds, no one was willing to take the first bite. The uncle, who was so hungry that he couldn't help it, stuck out his tongue and licked the syrup. With the beginning, let's lick it. Carefully licked, deeply afraid that if I accidentally got it off. Just a few laps down, a string of sugar gourds dipped in syrup is licked and the hawthorn is left, where there is still a crispy sour and sweet taste. The grandparents who watched couldn't help but laugh.
It is said that the rock sugar gourd originated in the Song Dynasty.
Today, the rock sugar gourd has evolved again, people use a variety of fruits, small foods to make different rock sugar gourd, spicy 椒️, ginger, orange, strawberry, instant noodles... Bean paste stuffed... Vegetables of... Pastry of... Wait, it's all sorts. Anyway, if you can make it, there will be something that can be tasted! Now that the standard of living is high, life is happy, the conditions are good, buying a string of sugar gourds has been as casual as drinking water, and there will never be a scene like fathers eating sugar gourds. Say what you eat!
It is said that the rock sugar gourd acid,
It is sour and sweet inside
Symbolize happiness and reunion...
Now, rock sugar gourd has become a traditional Chinese food snack, not only sold in the market, but also processed into finished snacks can be eaten all year round. Some brands are also exported overseas, and the business has been done all over the world, which is favored by many foreigners!
I hope that the rock sugar gourd, a traditional Chinese snack, can be passed down forever!