Bingtanghulu (candied haws on a stick) is a representative of traditional Chinese food. The ingredients used nowadays are increasingly diverse, such as hawthorn, Chinese yam, yam beans, jujubes, grapes, strawberries, cherry tomatoes, etc. Among these, the most common are still hawthorn and Chinese yam.
Bingtanghulu
The Origin of Bingtanghulu
It is said that during the reign of Emperor Guangzong of the Southern Song Dynasty, the emperor's beloved Consort Huang became sallow and emaciated, with no appetite and her condition deteriorating day by day. The imperial physicians were at their wit's end, so the emperor had to issue a public notice seeking a cure. A folk doctor responded to the notice and entered the palace. He prepared a decoction of rock sugar and hawthorn and had the Consort eat five to ten pieces before each meal. In less than half a month, she was cured. Later, this method spread among the common people, who then threaded the hawthorns onto sticks to sell, thus creating Bingtanghulu.
It's not surprising that Bingtanghulu can cure illness, as both hawthorn and rock sugar are themselves excellent medicinal ingredients.
Hawthorn is the mature fruit of the hawthorn, a deciduous shrub or small tree of the Rosaceae family. It has a sour, sweet, and slightly warm nature. It affects the spleen, stomach, and liver meridians, with effects of promoting digestion, resolving food stagnation, dispelling qi and stasis, and stopping diarrhea. Since ancient times, it has been a key medicine for indigestion, especially for clearing stagnation from greasy and fatty foods and meat. Li Shizhen, in his *Bencao Gangmu*, quotes from *Wulei Xianggan Zhi*: "When cooking old tough chicken, adding a few hawthorn fruits will make it tender easily; thus, its effect of resolving meat stagnation can be inferred." Consort Huang was constantly eating delicacies, leading to food stagnation, and hawthorn was the right medicine for her condition. Rock sugar, on the other hand, is a crystalline block formed by refining white sugar. It is sweet in taste and neutral in nature, affecting the spleen and lung meridians. It has the effects of strengthening the spleen and stomach, nourishing yin and promoting fluid production, and moistening the lungs to stop coughing. It can be used to treat conditions such as spleen and stomach qi deficiency, dry lung cough, and blood in phlegm. Therefore, the rock sugar was used to strengthen the spleen and stomach, nourish yin and fluids, and regulate the body's constitution.
From this story, it is not difficult to see that Consort Huang had internal stagnation and external deficiency, which is a case of "great excess with a depleted appearance." The combination of hawthorn and rock sugar, using only two ingredients, was a wonderfully matched prescription—one to eliminate and one to tonify. The elimination did not damage the body's vital energy, and the tonification did not cause stagnation. The effect was achieved gradually and was significant, truly a method that was both effective and safe.
Are colored Bingtanghulu a thing? Don't buy the ones that are too red from hawthorn and sugar.
Bingtanghulu is sweet and sour, and eating a stick before a meal can not only supplement nutrition but also stimulate the appetite. The lipase in it can promote fat breakdown and aid digestion. However, the amount should be controlled; one stick at a time is the maximum. Eating too much can not only cause sensitive teeth, but the high sugar and fruit acid content can easily lead to obesity, cause cavities, trigger excessive stomach acid secretion, and irritate the gastric mucosa. People with high blood sugar or weak spleen and stomach should eat it as little as possible.
The variety of Bingtanghulu is vast. Besides the common hawthorn version, Chinese yam Bingtanghulu contains mucoprotein and various vitamins and can effectively prevent cardiovascular diseases, so patients with high blood pressure can eat it in moderation. Additionally, Bingtanghulu made from strawberries, oranges, and kiwis are also good, rich in vitamin C, carotene, and more. It is recommended to eat them alternately for a richer nutritional intake.
Now is the peak season for hawthorns, so making your own Bingtanghulu is safer and more reassuring. First, wash the hawthorns and remove the pits, then thread them onto bamboo skewers. Second, add water and rock sugar or white sugar to a pot and boil. Start with high heat for 20 minutes until large bubbles form, then turn to low heat and simmer slowly. Finally, dip the threaded Bingtanghulu into the syrup, then place it on a smooth wooden board to cool for 2-3 minutes.
Bingtanghulu is best eaten after a meal.
Many people like to eat Bingtanghulu before a meal, thinking the sweet and sour hawthorn can whet the appetite, but this is not advisable. It's better to eat it after a meal.
Although Bingtanghulu is delicious, two types of people should be cautious when eating it.
1. Diabetics
Bingtanghulu contains rock sugar, so diabetics should consume it with caution.
2. People with a weak spleen and stomach, or those who experience acid reflux and heartburn.
Additionally, the *Bencao Beiyao* states: "Eating too much hawthorn makes one feel fidgety and hungry easily, and it damages the spleen and stomach's vital energy." Therefore, people with a weak spleen and stomach, or who experience acid reflux and heartburn, should not eat too much hawthorn Bingtanghulu. Chinese yam, with its nourishing and astringent properties, is not suitable for long-term consumption by those with dampness accumulation, fullness in the middle jiao, or stagnation. Of course, if Chinese yam and hawthorn are combined, one to aid digestion and the other to strengthen the spleen, the side effects can be greatly reduced.
For people with a weak spleen and stomach, it is generally recommended to eat less hawthorn. People with cavities, especially children, should not eat too much as it can damage teeth. At the same time, because hawthorn can deplete qi, people with a weak constitution should also avoid eating too much.
Of course, for healthy and strong individuals, eating hawthorn after a meal to aid digestion is fine. It is particularly effective after eating a lot of greasy meat, as hawthorn helps digest it very well.
Orange pelt