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6 Min
25/11/2025
If ASMR had a signature snack, candies on a stick would headline the soundtrack. The iconic crack of sugar shell on sticks has the same gripping appeal as a viral cliff-hanger – simple, dramatic, and impossible to skip. Making these candied skewers, mixing candies, and sampling liquorice feels like directing your own glossy food trailer, where everyday fruit transforms into high-shine stars ready for their close-up.
Tanghulu shot to worldwide fame thanks to short video content online. Why? It’s like the ‘kid in a candy shop’ logic. Who wouldn't want anything colourful on a stick wrapped in a translucent sugar layer? In contrast, there’s the more humble candy from the Nordic countries of Sweden – a familiar fare which you might have seen in local stores. While China's viral tanghulu is still reigning supreme, Sweden's unique pick-and-mix culture is lurking in the backrooms. Both offer distinct experiences that go beyond simple sweetness. Let’s dive in for the love of all things sweet, classic, and nostalgic.
Tanghulu is a traditional Chinese snack consisting of fruit on bamboo skewers coated in hardened sugar syrup. Dating back to the Song dynasty, this street food combines fresh fruit with a glassy candy shell that creates a satisfying crack with each bite. It’s a great way to get the finicky eaters to consume fruits. The look, colours and simplicity of its recipe are what make it a reigning favourite.
The process is surprisingly simple but requires precision and a careful hand. Use a 2:1 ratio of sugar to water, heating the mixture to 150°C to create the proper hard candy coating. Anything below this temperature will give you just a sticky and thick syrup; any hotter, you have an unsavable burnt sugar syrup.
Pick a selection of fruits, easy to skewer like orange pieces or baby oranges, grapes, strawberries and kiwis. Wash and completely dry your fruit for the sugar to stick better and harden.
Skewer 3-4 pieces of fruit, leaving small gaps between each piece.
Heat sugar and water without stirring until it reaches 150°C.
Quickly dip skewered fruit into the syrup.
Plunge into ice water immediately to set the coating.
Tip for fruits: Strawberries that are slightly underripe work best because they're firmer and tart, which will help hold the coating and also contrast well with it.
Note: You might find the microwave method to be convenient for the sugar coating, but it’s advisable that you avoid it. This seemingly innocuous substance has caused severe burns, with hospitals reporting multiple cases of children injured by hot sugar spills. Always use a stovetop and proper cookware – never attempt this in a microwave with plastic containers.
Tanghulu should be made and eaten the same day, as the candy coating becomes sticky at room temperature. This makes it perfect for fresh enjoyment but tricky for advanced preparation.
While tanghulu still rules social media and the crunch from the sugar is momentary, Swedish candy culture centres on variety and ritual. Swedes consume an impressive 16 kilograms of candy per person annually, with pick-and-mix bulk candy becoming a major phenomenon after launching in Swedish stores in the mid-1980s.
Too much of anything, especially sugary candies, can be a bit much when it comes to health, mostly dental. So, every Saturday becomes the day to grab candies from the local store in a tradition called ‘Lördagsgodis’ (Saturday candy). This weekly ritual limits candy consumption to one day, making it a special family event rather than an everyday indulgence.
The pick-and-mix sections in large Swedish supermarkets often hold several hundred varieties of candy – from soft foams to chewy gummies, chocolates to the infamous salty liquorice that only the Scandinavian countries seem to adore.
Swedish candy culture's most polarising element is salmiak, or salty liquorice. This variety is flavoured with ammonium chloride (salmiak salt), giving it an astringent, salty taste that adds bitterness and astringency. According to the Disgusting Food Museum in Malmö, only six nations love salty liquorice – Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and the Netherlands.
For Scandinavians, it's comfort food. For everyone else, it's often described as shockingly intense. The saltiness and pungency of salmiak became popular by the 1930s, and today it's used to flavour everything from pastries to vodka and ice cream. Popular varieties include Djungelvrål (monkey-shaped candies) and Tyrkisk Peber (Turkish Pepper), which delivers a fiery, spicy-salty punch.
Both tanghulu and Swedish candy culture emphasise excessive sweetness and are driven by their local community values. Tanghulu transforms a simple fruit into a carnival snack that is sweet, great to look at and bite into, where the crack of sugar gives way to juicy freshness. The Swedish pick-and-mix celebrates variety and personal choice, letting everyone create their perfect combination.
Whether you're dipping strawberries in a molten sugar solution or filling a paper bag with liquorice and liquorice, these candy traditions serve as a reminder that sweets are about more than taste. Kid or adult, who does not like getting their fingers sticky every once in a while?
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