Longhu Crisp Sugar

Longhu Crisp Sugar

　　  Longhu Crisp Sugar is one of the traditional delicacies of Longhu, long renowned for being crisp, sweet, and pulp-free, making it a popular choice for household consumption and gifting. With its fragrant aroma and non-greasy taste that melts in your mouth, Longhu Crisp Sugar has enjoyed fame both at home and abroad.

    Longhu Crisp Sugar has a production history of nearly a century, first created by Xu Chongji Pastry in Longhu. Its main ingredients include white sugar, peanut kernels, lard, and wheat germ, and the production process emphasizes speed. When making Longhu Crisp Sugar, white sugar is first boiled in water before adding lard, wheat germ, and other ingredients. Once the temperature is just right, the syrup is poured into a container to be cooled in a water bath until it takes on a glutinous rice ball-like consistency. It is then quickly stretched and aerated while still hot—the key to achieving the signature crispness and flavor. Next, heated roasted peanut kernels are pressed into the sugar mixture, which is then cut into strips and small pieces.

    In recent years, as living standards have improved, although people may have grown weary of overly sweet foods, Longhu Crisp Sugar continues to be cherished for its unique taste. It makes for a delightful tea-time treat and is a popular gift during holidays and family visits. Overseas and returning hometown visitors often make it their first stop to sample Longhu Crisp Sugar, and they never forget to bring back several boxes of the authentic treat for their children and grandchildren abroad. A few years ago, a fellow villager from Taiwan came all the way to Longhu to look for relatives, guided solely by his father’s memory of “hometown-produced Longhu Crisp Sugar.” Although he did not succeed in finding his relatives, it showed the deep emotional bond that overseas and local villagers alike have with their hometown.