Tanghulu is a Chinese confection made with skewered fruits — most commonly Chinese hawthorn — that are coated with a hardened syrup of melted sugar. The fruits are often pitted and may be filled with sweet red bean paste before being dipped in sugar syrup, which quickly solidifies, forming a glossy, brittle glaze.
Modern variations feature other fruits such as cherry tomatoes, strawberries, blueberries, pineapples, kiwifruits, or bananas.
Tanghulu’s culinary spread has extended beyond China, becoming a prominent street snack in regions with Chinese communities, and has notably experienced popularity surges, such as in South Korea, where it became widely available in the 2000s and gained further attention through social media platforms.