Sugared Taros

Sugared Taros is a special snack in Yixing. It is quite popular in Yixing. It was originated in 1858, which means that it has a history of 150 years. It tastes sweet, soft and savory. A story goes that in 1960’s when Liu Shaoqi was paying an inspection tour to Yixing, he tasted the snack and spoke highly of it. The main materials include taros, fresh lotus roots, osmanthus flowers, and red rice. The taros used to make the snack are from Dapu, an ordinary town of Yixing. The taros in Dapu are extremely soft and savory.

The snack is not difficult to make. Firstly, pare the peel off the taros and clean the peeled ones in water. Put the cleaned taros with some water in a pot and add some alkali. Secondly, turn on the fire and boil the taros. When the seeds of taros turn amaranthine, turn down the fire and stew them with proper amount of brown sugar and osmanthus flowers. Finally, when the water boils, it’s time to turn off the fire. Taros are rich in protein, calcium, phosphorus, iron, potassium, magnesium, and vitamins. Therefore the snack is good for human body. Remember when you eat taros, do not eat bananas or you will feel abdominal distension.