About the Demonstrational "Dragon Beard's Candy" Video

This video features footage of a professional making traditional dragon beard's candy by hand at a food stall in the Shin-Okubo area of Shinjuku, Tokyo (東京都新宿の新大久保).
The delicate sweets, which are known for being difficult to make, are a traditional sweet in Korea which are also known by the name Kkul-tarae (クルタレ) or Ronshutan (ロンシュータン).

In this video, you can see the techniques used to make dragon's beard candy and learn more about the history and characteristics of this traditional sweet.
We hope you enjoy the video!

What Is Dragon's Beard Candy?

Source :YouTube screenshot

Dragon's beard candy is a traditional sweet which has been eaten in countries such as China, Korea and Taiwan for hundreds of years.
Its popularity has spread to other foreign countries, such as the US, Taiwan, Singapore, Canada and Hong Kong.
Dragon beard's candy originated in China over 2,000 years ago, when the delicate treat was originally prepared for the emperor; however, it eventually came to be eaten by ordinary citizens and has been loved to this day.

The main ingredient used to make dragon beard's candy is maltose syrup, known as "mugi mizuame" in Japanese.
Cornstarch is also an essential ingredient.
It's made by stretching a hard piece of candy over and over again to create a candy with a light and crunchy texture.
The mildly sweet Dragon's beard candy is often given as a gift (lucky charm) in Seoul, Korea.

Watch the Amazing Skills of This Professional Dragon Beard's Candy Maker in Shin-Okubo!

Source :YouTube screenshot

Each piece of dragon's beard candy is carefully handmade by craftsmen.
As can be seen in the video, the street vendor first prepares the maltose syrup candy.
He creates a hole in the hard candy and proceeds to stretch the candy using this hole.
You can take a look at the stretching process throughout the video.

The vendor then stretches the candy over and over while continually covering it in cornstarch until the threads of the candy reach the thickness of what is thought to resemble a dragon's beard.
Only highly skilled professionals can make the candy incredibly thin without it breaking or snapping.
A single piece of candy is stretched into an amazing 16,384 strands.
From 4:26 in the video, the street vendor explains that this is the perfect number of strands to create the most pleasant melt-in-your-mouth texture.
At 2:20 in the video, he begins to fold the candy to create the 16,384 strands, which he completes in roughly 35-40 seconds.
The highlight of the video has to be when the professional dragon's beard maker shows off the finished product to the customers, at which point it looks beautifully smooth like threads of silk.
Many customers are amazed by the look of the finished product!
You can take a look at this in the video at 4:18.
If you get a chance to see it up close, be sure to take a video of your own and share it with your friends!

Source :YouTube screenshot

After stretching out the candy, crushed peanuts, almonds, sesame seeds, or coconut can be added as a filling.
One piece of candy costs approximately a few hundred yen (a couple bucks (USD)).
There are very few people who know how to make the candy as the skills required are so difficult to master.

Summary of Dragon Beard Candy

There are food stalls in Shin-Okubo and Yokohama's Chinatown (横浜中華街, yokohamachuukagai) where you can watch dragon beard's candy being made right before your eyes.
You can also buy dragon beard's candy online, sometimes sold under the name "Dragon Candy."

For those interested in tasting and experiencing the delicate texture of dragon beard's candy, we highly recommended purchasing some and trying them out for yourself!
Watching how the amazing dragon beard candy is made is guaranteed to pique your curiosity! Be sure to check it out in the video!