There is a saying that the history of making candied fruits in my country has been more than 1,000 years. There is also a theory that it was exclusively produced by the imperial kitchen in the Ming Dynasty and was later introduced to the people. It has a history of only nearly 300 years. But no matter how you say it, everyone agrees that it is a high-end food that was exclusive to the emperors in the past.
At that time, long-distance transportation was relatively slow, but the emperor wanted to eat fresh fruits all year round. So a smart chef came up with this idea, soaking the fruits of each season in honey, so that the emperor could eat fresh fruits at any time. Later, I invented a method of cooking it with honey, which I thought was also delicious.
Unexpectedly, this production process was leaked by chefs and spread among the people. Ordinary people also have the opportunity to eat "fruit" all year round. As a result, there were soon small workshops specializing in the production of preserved fruits in Beijing.
In many ancient historical books in my country, there are records of using honey to pickle fruits. The basic method is to boil the fresh fruits in honey and concentrate them, then remove a lot of water, so that they can be preserved for a long time. It also has another name - Honey Jian. Later it was passed around and became "candied fruit".
However, it is different now. Honey is no longer used for cooking, but sugar is used. However, everyone is still accustomed to calling it "candied fruit".
As early as 1913, candied fruits won an award at the Panama International Exposition.
In fact, strictly speaking, Beijing candied fruits can be divided into preserved fruits and candied fruits. According to the custom of Beijingers, those with low water content and no juice are called preserved fruits. For example: preserved apples, preserved pears, preserved apricots, preserved peaches, preserved sand fruits, preserved fragrant fruits, preserved begonias, preserved dates (also known as golden candied dates) preserved green plums, preserved red fruits, etc. Preserved fruits are made by first processing the raw materials, then boiling them with sugar, and then drying them. They come in a variety of colors, including brown, golden, amber, etc., and are bright and transparent. Although slightly sticky, the surface is dry and the moisture content is generally less than 20%. In the north, this fruit product is also called "Northern preserved fruit" or "Northern honey". In addition, there are "Nan Guo Preserved" and "Nan Mi", which come from Fujian, Guangdong, and Shanghai. They have a crisp texture and contain more sugar. For example, candied preserved fruits such as winter melon strips, candied water chestnuts, candied lotus root slices, etc. have a layer of powdery white sugar coating on the surface.
As for candied fruits, they are fruit products that are cooked with honey or sugar but do not go through the drying process. They are moist and soft on the surface and have a moisture content of generally higher than 30%. For example, candied crabapples and candied hawthorns, but these products are difficult to store and transport, so they have been rarely produced in recent years, and are only available in some self-produced and self-sold stores.