Summary
Apart from Hong Kong, where it is common to find dragon beard candy stands, there are very few places globally that sell this rare and ancient confection. While it is possible to order dragon beard candy online, nothing compares to enjoying it freshly prepared.
Reported stands can be found in cities such as Beijing, Taipei, Singapore, New York City, Boston, Vancouver, and Toronto. However, Montreal’s Johnny Chin claims he was the first dragon beard candy master to introduce it to North America, opening his shop in Montreal Chinatown in November 1991.
What distinguishes Montreal’s dragon beard candy source? According to Johnny Chin, he crafts the candy seven days a week. He mentions that aside from a stand in the Hong Kong International Airport, which sells candy “seven times more expensive than mine,” his shop may be the only place in the world selling dragon beard candy daily.
Dragon Beard Candy: A Little History
The legend of dragon beard candy dates back at least 2,000 years, though the exact time it was first created remains uncertain. Masters, including Montreal’s Johnny Chin, attribute its origin to the Tung Dynasty, also known as the Han Dynasty, lasting over 400 years. It’s believed the recipe was refined during this time, thanks to the influence of scholar Tung Chung-Shu, who convinced Emperor Han Wu-ti to adopt Confucianism as the official state doctrine.
Once upon a time, between 206 BCE and 220 CE, a chef at the Chinese Imperial Court aimed to impress an emperor with a new confection. The silky threads that characterize the candy may have reminded the chef of a dragon’s beard. Interestingly, Toronto’s Jimmy Poon asserts it was originally called cat beard candy due to the way it can stick to one’s face. Naming it dragon beard candy seemed fitting, especially since it was reserved for emperors and their entourage at state banquets.
Over centuries, this art transformed, escaping the confines of the Forbidden City and reaching the public. Chin fondly remembers seeing masters creating the thousands of threads from sugar on the streets of Hong Kong.
Sadly, the Chinese cultural revolution nearly extinguished over two millennia of candy-making tradition in a decade, with the Red Guards threatening to execute anyone engaging in Western or ancient Chinese practices.
Even when British-ruled Hong Kong avoided mainland China’s fate, the art was on the verge of dying out. As of 1991, Johnny Chin noted that perhaps only 10 dragon beard candy masters existed worldwide.
Who Is Johnny Chin?
Johnny Chin, a graduate of Bishop’s University, initially held a senior executive position as a financial controller in Montreal, seemingly on the path to financial security and social status. However, he found little fulfillment in his work.
Upon returning to Hong Kong, he discovered the ancient art of dragon beard candy was on the brink of extinction due to the cultural revolution. By the late 1980s, only about four dragon beard masters remained in Hong Kong, including his brother, who bribed an elderly master to reveal the candy-making secrets for $5,000.
After apprenticing under his brother, Chin perfected this art — a skill that may take months or years to master. He returned to Montreal in 1991, eager to introduce this theatrical candy-making craft to North America, motivated by a desire to preserve his heritage. As he told The Gazette back in 1991, “That’s why I want to make the candy — to preserve part of my culture.” He was also eager to engage with the community in ways he never could as a number-crunching controller.
Almost two decades later, with two children — who are still undecided about following in their father’s footsteps — Johnny Chin works seven days a week in his Chinatown shop. Thanks to his diverse clientele, including tourists and locals, he has picked up Italian and Spanish, along with his fluency in English, French, and Cantonese.
After enjoying the spectacle and tasting the candy, each priced under one dollar, Johnny Chin generously shared his technique for creating this rare sweet, a morsel of imperial history that must be consumed fresh in one bite, allowing each delicate thread to melt into a chewy center.
How to Make Dragon Beard Candy
Step 1
Johnny Chin begins by taking a solid yet gooey chunk of sugar, corn syrup, or a sugar cane-based gel and dips it in sugar dough to prevent it from sticking to his hands.
Step 2
He then shapes the gooey mixture into a donut, preparing to pull and twist it no less than 13 times — a secret technique essential for creating dragon beard candy.
Step 3
Is it sleight of hand or years of practice? Johnny Chin skillfully transforms the chunk of goo into 8,192 paper-thin strands in just 40 seconds, employing a figure-eight motion and doubling it 13 times. It’s impressive and quite difficult to follow the “secret” to shaping dragon beard candy. Johnny confidently states, “remember, I was a controller!”
Next comes the filling for the dragon beard.
Step 4
Johnny Chin takes the 8,192 strands of sugar, cutting them to a more manageable length, then coils the silky threads around a crunchy center consisting of ground peanuts, chocolate, coconut, and sesame seeds.
Dragon Beard Candy: What Does It Taste Like and Where Can I Find It?
Dragon beard candy garners interesting descriptions from those who taste it. When I asked a group of women watching Johnny Chin craft the candy, each had a different opinion: one likened it to taffy, another to baklava (but less sticky), and a third compared it to nougat.
While I resonate with their comparisons, I also find them lacking. The candy is sweet yet subtle, with a slight hint of saltiness. I particularly enjoy the experience of the threaded texture melting in my mouth, blending into a chewy layer with the crunchy filling.
In truth, these descriptions don’t do the candy justice. To truly appreciate its uniqueness, you must experience Johnny Chin’s dragon beard candy for yourself, and don’t forget to request him to prepare it in front of you!
Dragon Beard Candy by Johnny Chin
52B de la Gauchetière, corner of Clark; Place d’Armes Metro
INFO: (514) 529-4601
