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| - Montreal's Chinatown, while small in comparison to other cities, is a gem with many great places for food - a fact that isn't always true for all Chinatowns. This little booth is a good example.
What is dragon beard candy? You can find videos on Youtube showing it being made. Basically, it's the same principle as ramen, pulled noodles. You start with a big ball of dough for noodles, or maltose for candy, and keep stretching and folding it till the magic of mathematics turns 1 into 2 into 4, 8, 16, 32... and you end up with countless strands of thin threads.
I love dragon beard's candy as a kid, the pillowy soft little cocoon holds delights of sweet sesame, peanut, and coconut. However, it's not a candy you can easily buy, it's hard to find in grocery stores and even if you score, it doesn't taste as good as the real thing. When I was a kid you could sometimes find an old man making them on the streets, but nowadays it's somewhat a lost art. Moreover, the candy has a very short shelf life, so you cannot stock up on them at all.
You can see the candies being made here, and price is very reasonable. The candy is messy to eat, the "beard" sticks to your face and the sugar and nuts fall all over your clothes. But if you have never tried it, you should. No, you must!!
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