Ding Ding Candy (啄啄糖) is an interesting example. It is made of malt and water, and sometimes corn syrup and sesame. What is so special then? The fun part comes from its production process. The candy is so hard that you actually have to break it up with hammer and chisel, thus resulting in the “ding ding” sound of its name. Not only is it an amusing view, the sound it makes also attract customers to buy. Nowadays, you can still see hawkers selling them on the street from time to time.
Another honorable mention would be glutinous rice dumpling (糯米糍), made with glutinous rice dough, sometimes with sweet filling like red bean paste and crumbled peanuts, and can be dusted with dried coconut shreds. “Wait a minute…Isn’t that mochi from Japan,” you asked? Yes, you got the idea. They are somewhat similar, though glutinous rice dumplings are softer because of higher water content, and the fillings of the two are different.
When I was I kid, I used to buy lots of these for snacks and breakfast. And you can literally smell them before you actually see a stall selling them because the dough is mostly made with coconut milk…Yum, the good old days…
Time may have changed, and locally-manufactured candies may not be as popular as they used to be, but still, the fact that they are an important part of our culture will never change.
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