Longxusu

Longxusu

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Dragon's beard candy (traditional Chinese: 龍鬚糖; simplified Chinese: 龙须糖; pinyin: lóng xū táng) or Chinese cotton candy or Longxusu (simplified Chinese: 龙须酥; traditional Chinese: 龍鬚酥; pinyin: lóng xū sū) is a handmade traditional art of China. It is a traditional Chinese confectionary similar to floss halva or Western cotton candy, which can be found in many Chinese communities. Dragon's beard candy was initially created in China, but soon spread in popularity in other parts of East Asia and became a regional delicacy in other parts of East Asia such as South Korea, as well as (and more recently) Canada, Turkey, Singapore, and the United States.

It has a low sugar content (19%) and low saturated fat content (2%). By comparison, cotton candy is fat free with a very high sugar content (94%). Dragon's beard candy has a very short shelf life. It is highly sensitive to moisture and tends to melt when exposed to higher temperatures, notably during warm weather.

According to legend, Dragon's Beard Candy was invented during the Chinese Han Dynasty by an imperial court chef who entertained the Emperor one day by performing the complicated steps in making a new confection, which involved stretching a dough-like mixture composed from rice flour into small, thin strands. These strands reminded the Emperor of a dragon's beard, and were sticky enough to adhere to one's face easily, so the concoction was named Dragon's Beard Candy. The name may also be attributed to the status of the mythical dragon as a symbol of the Chinese Emperor, so presenting the confection as Dragon's Beard Candy was deemed acceptable due to the social nature of the candy. It was reserved only for the ruling class due to the complexity of the preparation process.

Dragon's Beard Candy became a source of conflict several centuries later, however, as during the Chinese Cultural Revolution the Red Guard, acting on the orders of the Chinese Communist Party, forbade the Chinese populace to take part in activities that could be attributed to the Han Dynasty. The initial rarity of the candy, combined with government policy banning the art, made the craft of making Dragon's Beard Candy even more isolated and sparsely practiced. Nevertheless, in recent years, the art has resurfaced in tourist destinations such as street festivals, and has even spread to farther reaches of the globe through dedicated masters of the task.

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