The Chinese Department recently brought history to life with a hands-on Dragon Beard Candy workshop for our Year 9 to 12 Chinese language students in Pakūranga College’s commercial kitchen.
Before diving into the cooking, the students got to learn about the origin of this traditional treat—which dates back to the Han Dynasty and was once made exclusively for royal emperors. Making it, however, proved to be the real challenge! The group had to stretch, twist, and pull melted sugar thousands of times until it turned into thousands of paper-thin, silky threads, which they then wrapped around a classic crunchy Oreo and oat filling.
It was awesome seeing the students get so stuck into the process, support each other through the tricky pulling technique, and connect with Chinese tradition in such an interactive way. Safe to say, everyone walked away with sticky fingers, a great new skill, and a much-deserved sweet treat!
Daisy Xu – Chinese Teacher
