All About The Tanghulu Trend Online
The tanghulu is the latest food trend, but is it safe for kids to eat?
You’ve probably seen articles about the glass fruit and scrolled through TikTok about the so-called glass fruit, known as tanghulu.
It’s a Chinese dessert wherein skewered fruits are dipped in sugar and candied. Its popularity has spread worldwide, and recipes for tanghulu have been posted online. Some shops have also sprouted selling tanghulu in the Philippines.
Although eating fruit is something we want our kids to do, is tanghulu really worth the trouble of making it?
Recipes online and growing concerns
Although tanghulu is often seen being carted by street vendors, recipes for it have sprouted online, specifically on Tiktok, wherein they show how to heat the sugar and dip the fruit.
But these homemade recipes seem to have a problem brewing up among some concerned groups.
According to Shriners Children in Boston, they are extremely concerned about the Tanghulu fad online due to children suffering burn injuries because of the highly heated sugar.
“When sugar is melted in the microwave like this, it has a high heat capacity, meaning it stores the heat energy,” explains Dr. Collen Ryan. “If spilled, it can create a severe scald burn, much like spilling hot soup, but it can cause a much deeper burn because of sugar’s properties. Kids or teens can quickly grab the pot or bowl and the hot fluid splashes, spills or splatters over them. The result is one or several small but very deep burns, often in critical areas such as the hand or the face.”
It’s not just burns that are the concern. In 2023, a dentist in Korea pointed out that eating too much tanghulu can affect the teeth.
“Dentists unanimously agree that consuming tanghulu is likely to cause cavities,” dentist Kang Sung-jin told the JoongAng Daily.
Kang said he would encourage eating tanghulu in one go instead of consuming it multiple times daily.
“It’s better to shorten the time that the snack stays inside your mouth.”
Using the right tools
It’s important that when doing the Tanghulu fad recipe with your kids, you are equipped with the right tools. The concerns spawn from the use of a microwave, but Dr. Laura Purdy emphasizes making it should be done in a stove.
“Sugar should always be heated over the stove top when cooking at home and always done in a safe manner. This means having the right tools.”
Other medical experts on the other hand recommend skipping the fad of making tanghulu altogether or just get other snack alternatives. If they do tanghulu at home, there should be parental supervision.
Snack alternatives that are recommended include fruit dipped in raw cacao or honey instead of sugar.
To eat or not to eat?
With all the concerns from the Tiktok food trend, the question is whether to eat or not. Some parents don’t mind their kids eating tanghulu but some prefer better alternatives. It’s up to them on what they allow for their kids to much.
As an aunt of two boys, I see them eat it without sugar, given that the fruit they consume (strawberries and grapes ) already has the sweetness. But if you let your child eat these candied fruits, make sure to remind them to consume only what they can eat. After all, too much may lead to problems.
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