Dragon's beard candy
| Dragon's beard candy | |||||||||||
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| Traditional Chinese | 龍鬚糖 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 龙须糖 | ||||||||||
| Literal meaning | dragon beard candy | ||||||||||
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| Alternative Chinese name | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 銀絲糖 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 银丝糖 | ||||||||||
| Literal meaning | silver silk candy | ||||||||||
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| Second alternative Chinese name | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 龍鬚酥 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 龙须酥 | ||||||||||
| Literal meaning | dragon whiskers pastry | ||||||||||
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Dragon's beard candy (traditional Chinese: 龍鬚糖; simplified Chinese: 龙须糖; pinyin: lóng xū táng) or Chinese cotton candy or Longxusu (simplified Chinese: 龙须酥; traditional Chinese: 龍鬚酥; pinyin: lóng xū sū) is a handmade traditional Chinese confectionary similar to floss halva or Western cotton candy. Dragon's beard candy was initially created in China, but was soon popularized in other parts of East Asia and South East Asia. It became a regional delicacy in South Korea in the 1990s, Singapore in the 1980s, then in Canada and the United States.
It has a low sugar content (19%) and low saturated fat content (2%). By comparison, cotton candy is fat free with a very high sugar content (94%). Dragon's beard candy has a very short shelf life. It is highly sensitive to moisture and tends to melt in warm temperatures.