After wars and hardships, the Hakka people migrated from the prosperous places of the Central Plains to the remote villages of the southern country, and their hometown became a foreign land, and the thousand-year-old history has witnessed their joys and sorrows and thousands of miles of migration. This history has also left obvious traces, including the representative food of Hakka sugar dates.
Hakka sugar dates are a must-have sacrifice and delicacy for the Hakka people during the New Year festival or when they hold activities to pay tribute to the gods. The process of making sugar dates is very simple, and the main raw materials include high-quality glutinous rice flour, brown sugar, sweet potatoes and edible oil. The specific production process: first put the peeled sweet potatoes into the pot and steam, then mash the steamed sweet potatoes into sweet potato puree, and then mix the sweet potato puree with glutinous rice flour and brown sugar with water, and then knead it into a round ball of moderate size. When the oil temperature reaches 80 degrees, put these balls in a pan and fry them until golden brown and eat.
In the frying process, it is necessary to master the appropriate heat and time to avoid fried paste or black. The taste of sugar dates is sweet and crispy, and it is very delicious. Because it contains more oil, higher energy, and has a longer shelf life, it can usually be stored for more than a month without deterioration. Not only can it be steamed and eaten, but it can also be eaten cold, making it ideal for carrying it outdoors as a snack when working or traveling. Because of its golden color and round shape, sugar dates symbolize the sweetness and reunion of the family, so they have become a common gift for entertaining guests and relatives and friends during the Spring Festival. Sugar dates can also be boiled with ginger, brown sugar, and rice dumplings as a nourishing and nutritious food for women.
Since ancient times, sugar dates have been loved by guests and friends. Nowadays, most of the 2024 flavors are getting stronger and stronger, and there are restaurants or small vendors in large and small cities and villages in the areas where the Hakka people live, and there are also vendors selling them in tourist attractions, which are popular with tourists. The long history of Hakka sugar dates is a physical relic for the study of Hakka food culture and customs, and has certain academic and social value.