Learn from"Gong Tang" candy
By Happy Hong
Translated by Beverly
Photos by Yao Fan



金门贡糖起源于厦门,现如今身价却比厦门产贡糖高出数倍,其奥妙何在?本文不仅给出了答案,也为如何推动闽南特色的小吃文化给出一些启示.

The other day, a friend gave me two packages of Jinmen-made "Gong Tang" candies, which, as he told me, are one of Jinmen's "three treasures". I did not approve, because I thought "Gong Tang" candy was a traditional specialty of Xiamen that dated back to the Song Dynasty and had been a tribute to the royal family since the Ming Dynasty. Xiamen locals are fond of chatting over tea in their spare time, and "Gong Tang" candy has always been a favorite desert. How come it became a Jinmen specialty?

However, after I tasted one, I had to admit that the Jinmen-made "Gong Tang" candy was really delicious. I did some research out of curiosity and found out that the craft of "Gong Tang" candy was first introduced to Jinmen, Taiwan by a famous baker from Xiamen, named Jinqing Chen, who set up a candy factory there. Chen's trick of success was his perseverance in hand making and his emphasis on product quality. "Gong Tang" is from the Minnan ("South Fujian") dialect. "Gong" means "hammering" and "Tang" means "candy", thus the word "Gong Tang" stands for "hammered candy". And that is what the craft hinges on. Workers use wooden clubs to hammer the ingredients, like peanuts, sesame seeds, maltose, etc., until they are completely and evenly melded together. By doing so, the final products are unforgettably delicious and crisp.

Jinmen "Gong Tang" candy originated from Xiamen, but it has become a major export of Jinmen after years of efforts and innovation. And what's the situation Xiamen "Gong Tang" candy is now in? There are several candy factories with various brands, nonetheless, most of the factories are mechanized, thus the taste is far away from the original standard. Even though a few factories still hang onto the ancient craft, they fail to match a high quality product with the high price. Lack of courage and insight prevents them from developing into great brands.

Now in Xiamen stores, the price of Jinmen "Gong Tang" candy is 7 times as high as that of Xiamen's. You can imagine how profitable Jinmen "Gong Tang" candy is. However, I think Jinmen manufacturers must have been faced with a lot of difficulties in the early stages, since they have to maintain a rather unacceptably high price to meet the cost caused by the ancient craft. But once they adhere to high standards, and to their own characteristics, they are bound to succeed and to gain a lot of profits.

It seems stupid to hang onto the ancient handmade craft instead of adapting the use of otherwise advanced and modern equipment, but this unconventionally "stupid" method is exactly what is required in some fields. Now that this "stupid" method has in it strong characteristics of faith and aspiration, it is always able to cultivate alternative processes leading to a truer conception.

As the old saying goes "it is not too late to mend the fold even after some of the sheep have been lost", Xiamen still has profound culinary cultural details, such as Tong'an Ma Ti ("hoof") shortbread, Huang Ze He's peanut soup, Ye's glutinous rice cake, and so on. If Xiamen can learn some truth from this example, isn't it a profit from a misfortune?