Tanghulu 糖葫蘆

糖葫蘆是不少人心中的童年味道，這款風靡中國的小吃近年來更是沖出國門，走向世界，就連有些不喜甜食的外國人也被它征服了呢……

Most kids have a sweet tooth， and I was no exception. When I was young， my favorite time of the year was fall when the leaves became brightly colored and the temperature would drop.

This season wouldnt have been complete without the seasonal specialty， candy apples. These are apples that are covered with sugar candy. But as I grew older， I became less and less interested in eating candy and other sweet foods.

However， every winter in Beijing， theres one kind of candy that I still like to eat. Its called tanghulu， a traditional snack thats made of fruit covered in hard candy， which is very similar to the candy apples of my childhood.

Tanghulu is traditionally made with Chinese hawthorn berries， but many types of fruit can be used to make it. Its possible to find tanghulu made with oranges， strawberries or blueberries.

Every bite of tanghulu takes me back to my childhood. Enjoying this sweet treat makes me imagine putting up Halloween decorations with my family or playing football with my friends after school.

Yet the more winters Ive spent in China， the more Ive learned that Chinese people also attach fond memories to this snack. The combined taste of sweet and tart flavors often transports many nostalgic Chinese people back to their childhood.

For many Beijing residents， tanghulu isnt only a tasty treat， but also an auspicious symbol and highlight of the traditional temple fairs held during the Lunar New Year holidays.

Tanghulu originally came from northern China， but it can be found in almost every Chinese city these days. Its even crossed the border into Russia. One tanghulu vendor in Russia sold 8，000 sticks of tanghulu in one day， according to CCTV News.

And in the Russian city of Vladivostok， the deputy mayor is a huge fan of the snack， coming in person to buy it himself from a Chinese vendor in the city named Wang Jialiang， according to Daqing Daily.

So it seems that this sweet treat holds a special place in many peoples hearts. To me， buying a stick of tanghulu certainly makes me feel better if Im ever feeling homesick.

大多數小朋友都喜愛甜食，我也不例外。小時候，一年中我最喜歡的季節是秋天，層林盡染，天氣涼爽。

沒有太妃糖蘋果這種當季特色點心的秋天是不完整的。這種蘋果外都裹著一層糖漿。但隨著年齡的增長，我對糖果以及其他甜食卻越來越興致索然了。

然而，每年冬天在北京，我卻很喜歡吃一種糖果——“糖葫蘆”。這種傳統小吃由裹著硬糖稀的水果制成，和我小時候吃的太妃糖蘋果十分相似。

傳統的糖葫蘆由山楂果制成，但除此之外不少別的水果也能做成糖葫蘆。你會發現有冰糖橘子、冰糖草莓、冰糖藍莓等糖葫蘆串。

每一口糖葫蘆都會喚起我的童年回憶。吃這種甜食會讓我想起和家人一起布置萬圣節裝飾，或是放學后和朋友們踢球的時光。

如今我在中國過冬越來越多，我也愈發了解到，中國人也對這種小吃有著美好的回憶。糖葫蘆酸酸甜甜的味道常常讓中國人懷念起自己的童年時光。

對于許多北京人而言，冰糖葫蘆不光是一種美味的小吃，更是一個吉利的彩頭，還是農歷新年期間傳統廟會上的一大亮點。

糖葫蘆發源于中國北方，但如今幾乎在所有中國城市中都能找到它的身影。糖葫蘆甚至還走出國門，傳到了俄羅斯。據《央視新聞》報道，俄羅斯一個糖葫蘆小販每天能賣出8000根糖葫蘆。

而據《大慶日報》報道，俄羅斯海參崴的副市長是糖葫蘆的忠實粉絲，他曾親自來這里向一名叫王家亮的中國攤主買糖葫蘆。

這么看來，這款甜食在不少人心目中都有著特殊的地位。對我而言，想家的時候買根糖葫蘆吃，心里就會舒服多了。

Vocabulary

exception n. 例外；除外

attach v.（使）與……有聯系；與……有關聯

transport v. 使產生身臨其境的感覺

auspicious adj. 吉利的；吉祥的

originally adv. 原來；起初；獨創地