Chinese desserts are often served as part of the main meal or as a snack, with popular sweets including candy, ice cream, rice cakes, and sweet dumplings. Dessert soups and shaved ice are also common, with flavors ranging from fruit to almond. Hard candies are often fruit-flavored and eaten on holidays.
In Chinese culture, dessert is not usually served at the end of a meal like in the West, rather sweet recipes can be served as part of the main meal or can be eaten as a snack. Some Chinese desserts are mostly eaten around holidays or celebrations, while others are eaten on a more regular basis. Popular Chinese sweets include candy, ice cream or shaved ice, and rice cakes. Sweet dessert dumplings and soups are also commonly served. Recipes for these dishes are plentiful, or the finished dishes can be purchased at an Asian market, bakery, or Chinese restaurant.
Rice is a staple of Chinese cuisine and is often used to make rice cakes. This type of dessert usually consists of steamed rice balls that can be rolled up loosely or packed tightly to make them easier to eat. These cakes are often sweetened with rose water or red bean paste. Rice cakes can also be served in a variety of puddings.
Soups are unique Chinese desserts that can be found in a range of flavors. While many are served hot, several varieties can be served cold or at room temperature. Red bean soup and a sweetened almond soup are popular versions of this type of dish. Sweet dumplings, called tangyuan, can be served alongside a dessert soup or can be placed in it. Tangyuan are usually filled with sugar, black sesame seeds or peanut butter.
While most Chinese desserts are served warm or at room temperature, ice creams and shaves are popular cold dishes. Ice cream can be found in a wide variety of flavors throughout China. Shaved ice is also very popular and is called baobing. Chinese shaved ice typically consists of a mound of finely shaved ice that is flavored with sweet syrups. Fruits can be mixed with it, and condensed milk is often used as a sweet topping.
The candy is enjoyed throughout China and is often used as a dessert. Most candies used as Chinese desserts have a hard outer coating, although an exception is cotton candy, which is very similar to its Western cousin. Many Chinese hard candies are fruit flavored and can range in taste from mildly sweet to heavily sugary. Popular flavors include mango and lychee. Special varieties are often made and eaten on important holidays, such as the Chinese New Year.
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