Candied fruit is also known as fruit preserves, the ancient name of honey fried. Han folk molasses fruit food. Circulated in various places, has a long history. Peach, apricot, plum, jujube or winter melon, ginger and other fruits and vegetables as raw materials, sugar or honey pickled and processed food. In addition to being eaten directly as a snack or snack, candied fruit can also be used as a garnish on cakes, cookies and other confections.

During the Tang Dynasty, fruits brought to the court were preserved in honey. By the Song Dynasty, the production of fine, diverse varieties, from the honey impregnation developed into both dry cane sugar two categories. After the selection of fruit, washing, soaking, boiling and other processes made, color and taste are excellent.

History of the development of candied fruit

Candied fruit is a traditional Han food with national characteristics, so far there have been more than 2000 years of history. The book "Wu Yue Chun Qiu" compiled by Zhao Hua of the Eastern Han Dynasty has the record of "The Yue reported the gift of increasing the seal of Wu with sweet honey pills (wood party)." This is the earliest record of preserves in China. This is China's earlier written records about candied fruit. Into the Tang and Song dynasties, due to the development of agricultural production, especially fruit and beekeeping, the development of sugar industry, so that the processing of candied fruit has been a significant development, the formation of "fried, brewing, exposure, grits" and so on - a whole set of processing technology, which makes the candied fruit products and varieties of food products and greatly increased, become a kind of food in the forest of the independent of the "honey fried" food. The "honey fried" refers to the people will be fresh fruit in the honey decoction concentrated to remove a large amount of water in the fruit, enhance the flavor, in order to facilitate the long storage and get its name. To the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, the processing of candied fruit in both processing technology and color varieties have further developed, its processing technology is increasingly perfect, tends to be mature, not only known in the country, but also enjoys a good reputation in the world. In the 1913 Panama World's Fair, China's production of candied fruit had won the gold medal, won a high evaluation. At this time, the level of processing technology can be said to have risen to the highest point in ancient times, its name was changed to "candied fruit". After the founding of new China, the candied fruit industry developed exceptionally rapidly, formed a number of large-scale and production capacity of the factory, the production capacity increased significantly, so that the candied fruit industry has entered a period of prosperity.

Based on the characteristics of product traits, preserves are classified as follows:

Sugar-stained class

Sugar-stained preserves are cooked by the fruit pulp with sugar***, and their finished products are generally impregnated in the thick sugar solution, the fruit pulp is meticulous, and the flavor is beautiful. Such as candied red fruits, candied begonias, candied quince and sugar plums, sugar cinnamon, sugar roses are such.

Sugar impregnated products, the surface of the sugar slightly liquid, color fresh meat crisp, sweet and refreshing, the original fruit flavor, color, aroma, taste, shape are excellent, its representative products are mainly plum series products, as well as sugar Buddha's hand, honey kumquat, figs and so on. Back to the sand products, the surface is dry, slightly frosting, color and lustre is fresh, the shape is chic, the entrance is fluffy, the taste is sweet and moist, the representative products are jujube series products, as well as the Su orange cake, the golden silk kumquat and the Su style plums, the nine system of Chenpi, sugar plums, sugar cherries, and so on.

Return to the sand category

After the raw materials are boiled in sugar, the surface of the finished products is dry with white frosting, such as: sugar melon strips, jujube, kumquat cake and so on.

Return to the sand candied fruit after cooking by sugar, fruit blanks hanging on the surface of a layer of powdered sugar coat, so that the product was opaque, its texture is crisp, high sugar content. Such as a variety of melon strips, sugar orange cake, sugar lotus root slices, sugar ginger slices, sugar kumquats, sugar lotus seeds, sugar water chestnuts, green and red silk are such.

Dried fruits

By the sugary cooking and drying, its color has brown, golden yellow or amber, bright and clear, dry surface, slightly sticky dry products. Such as dried apples, dried pears, dried peaches, dried fruits, dried jujube, dried fruits, dried plums, dried hawthorn, dried begonias, etc. are of this kind.

The raw material is made of sugar, after drying, the surface of the finished product is not sticky and not dry, there is a sense of transparency, no frosting precipitation, such as: apricot, pineapple, pineapple (slices, chunks, cores), ginger candy, papaya (strips, grains), and so on.

Cool fruit class

It is a variety of fresh fruit (billet) as the main raw material licorice cool products, its external shape generally maintain the original fruit body, the surface is drier, some varieties of the surface of the salt frost, taste sweet, sweet and sour, slightly salty, with the original fruit flavor. Such as plums, prunes, plums, rock sugar prunes, etc. are of this kind, there are many varieties.

Raw materials in the process of candying or sugar cooking, adding sweeteners, spices, etc., the finished product surface is dry, with a strong flavor, such as: clove plum snowflake should be son, eight treasures of plums, plum-flavored kumquat and so on.

Talking class

Raw materials to fruit as the main raw material, after pickling, adding food additives, with or without sugar, with or without licorice made of dry state products. The products have sweet,

sour, salty and other flavors, such as plums, plums, apricots, nine system Chenpi, hawthorn slices, licorice olive, licorice kumquat and so on belong to this kind.

Fruit Dan class

Taking fruits and vegetables as the main raw materials, boiled in sugar, impregnated or salted, dried and then ground, shaped into a variety of forms of dry products. Such as Bai Cao Dan, Chen Pi Dan, Lemon Dan, Ice Plum Dan, Sour Plum Dan, Fruit Peel Dan, Hawthorn Dan, Buddha's hand Dan, etc. are of this kind.

Fruit cake

Raw materials are processed into sauce, concentrated and dried, and the finished products are in the shape of slices and strips, such as sour horn cake, passion fruit cake, hawthorn cake, hawthorn strips, fructanskin, appetizing kumquat, etc. belong to this category.

Licorice products

Raw material adopts fruit blanks, with sugar, licorice and other food additives impregnation treatment, drying, finished products have sweet, sour, salty and other flavors, such as plums, licorice olive, nine system of Chenpi, talking plums.

Production process

Production process combines the characteristics of preserves from north and south: fresh fruits and vegetables→picking and grading→shape treatment→salting and drying→hardening treatment→rinsing→rinsing→blanching→saccharification→sugar boiling→cooling