Tonghai Bean Powder Candy

Tonghai Bean Powder Candy

　　Bean Powder Candy is a traditional and well-known product of Tonghai County, with a history of over two hundred years. Made primarily from high-quality soybeans and processed meticulously, the candy features even layers and is known for being “fragrant, sweet, crisp, flaky, and leaving no residue in the mouth.”

　　Bean Powder Candy is a traditional food with a long history in Tonghai. As early as during the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty, Kong Xianyu in Tonghai County learned the production technique for Bean Powder Candy from Rao Si’s family in Hexi. Using soybean powder, maltose, and red and white sugar as ingredients, he began making the candy, which locals called “Kong Family Bean Powder Candy.” It quickly gained fame far and wide. Before liberation, the candy was mainly produced manually in small quantities, with most of it sold unpackaged in the local market. Some was also packed in tin boxes and taken to cities such as Kunming, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Hong Kong to be given as gifts to relatives and friends. Today, with a history spanning more than seven hundred and fifty years, the candy can truly be described as having a long and storied heritage.

　　Images of Bean Powder Candy

　　Tonghai Bean Powder Candy is made from uniquely Yunnan-grown soybeans, which are carefully selected, roasted, and ground. These are then combined with locally produced maltose and other ingredients, and go through high-temperature boiling, repeated folding of the sugar paste and bean powder, and meticulous crafting. This candy has been produced in Yunnan for several hundred years. The final product is rich in soy aroma, delightfully crisp and crumbly, even crispier than traditional crisp candy, and enjoys a unique status within China. A distinctive feature of the candy is that the more flaky layers it has, the crispier it becomes. The production of Bean Powder Candy involves careful selection of ingredients and fine processing, resulting in even layers. Its reputation for being “fragrant, sweet, crisp, flaky, and leaving no residue in the mouth” is indeed well deserved.

　　Visit Tonghai to admire the beauty of Xiu Mountain, renowned as the finest in southern Yunnan, and savor the traditional specialty—delicious Bean Powder Candy. Let this unique traditional delicacy of Yunnan bloom even more vibrantly, spreading across the country and around the world along with the many tourists who visit Yunnan.