Dragon Beard Candy, Chinatown Night Markets

Dragon what candy? Dragon beard candy! Duh…

Or maybe, if you are anything like me, you wouldn’t have heard of dragon beard candy before.

While walking through the Chinatown night markets, the stall caught my eye.

There was a small crowd of people standing around the store but they weren’t lining up – they were gawking at the production process.

Two fast workers seemed to be kneading and stretching some form of noodle-like strips, dusting it, and kneading it into small elongated shapes, ready for consumption.

A small A4 piece of paper was tacked onto the stall front, explaining what dragon beard candy is.

It is a form of Chinese candy, made from spun sugar that is turned into threads and wrapped around a filling of nuts and sesame seeds.

My friend purchased a small box of three, for $6.50.

Upon opening the box, we discovered the candy, nestled like large silkworms side by side.

I couldn’t resist giving one a poke and it was soft and squidgy. By this stage, I had sort of grossed myself out with all kind of maggot/silkworm imagery.

But my stomach is fairly adventurous and after all, it was candy!

So I picked one up and took a bite.

Spillage! Spillage! The nut filling began to collapse from the bottom but the candy was melt-in-mouth soft. You could feel the texture of the threads in your mouth.

They were quite nice and I would definitely try them again, although they are a bit pricey so they might become a ‘once-in-a-while’ treat!

PS. I just visited their website (http://www.dragonbeardcandy.com.au) and saw that Manu Feildel has visited their stall – cool!