Where Does Our “Doubt” About Tang Desserts Come From?
Introduction: Where Does Our “Doubt” About Tang Desserts Come From?
When you hear the phrase “Tang Dynasty desserts,” what comes to mind? The exquisite “Tang‑style confections” (唐菓子) often shown in period dramas? The elegant little sweets served at a Japanese tea ceremony? Or those golden, crispy pastries that modern “ancient recipe” influencers recreate on social media?
Table.Media’s article Dessert: Doubts about the Tang Dynasty starts precisely from these questions – how much of what we think we know about Tang desserts is historically accurate, and how much is later imagination and creative reinterpretation? Unfortunately, that article sits behind a paywall. But fortunately, a wealth of open historical texts, archaeological findings, and scholarly studies allow us to reconstruct the real story of Tang‑era sweets on our own.
This article uses solid historical evidence to take you into that glorious age, where sweetness was both a luxury and an art form.
1. Why Could the Tang Dynasty “Get Sweet”?
Before we dive into specific desserts, we have to answer a fundamental question: what did the Tang people use to create sweetness?
The answer is more complex than many imagine. Before the Tang, maltose (from grains) and honey were the main sweeteners. From the Northern and Southern Dynasties (420–589 CE), sugarcane and its products began to enter China, but the sugar‑making technology was still rudimentary. People simply boiled and sun‑dried sugarcane juice to make a thick sweet syrup, called zhejiang (蔗浆). The imperial court even stored large quantities of this syrup in ice cellars for long‑term preservation.
The real leap in Chinese sugar technology came with Emperor Taizong’s famous “study abroad” program. Both the New Book of Tang (新唐书) and Essential Documents of the Tang (唐会要) record this: in the 21st year of the Zhenguan era (647 CE), Emperor Taizong sent envoys to India to learn sugar‑refining methods, and they brought back two master sugar makers. This technological import dramatically improved Tang sugar production, making sweetness no longer a privilege of the few.
With sugar came the foundation for a blossoming of desserts.
2. The “Superstars” of Tang Desserts
2.1 Su Shan (酥山) – The “Ice Cream” from a Thousand Years Ago
If any Tang dessert deserves the title of “viral sensation,” it’s su shan (酥山 – “butter mountain”).
“Su” – a type of dairy butter or clotted cream – was introduced to central China from northern nomadic peoples during the Northern and Southern Dynasties. The agricultural encyclopedist Jia Sixie (贾思勰) gave detailed instructions for making su in his Essential Techniques for the Common People (齐民要术). By the Tang, su was eaten in many ways: directly, mixed into tea, baked into pastries, or even consumed as a longevity tonic.
But su shan was the “upgraded” version: first, heat su until it melts; then drip and drizzle it onto a plate or bowl, piling it up like mountain peaks. The whole creation was then frozen in an ice cellar to set. Finally, it was garnished with fresh seasonal flowers. The Tang poet Wang Lingran (王泠然) described it beautifully in his Ode to Suhe Mountain (苏合山赋):
“Piled up like a jewelled tree, spotted with red blossoms – when you taste it, the very peaks enter your mouth; when you admire its form, you see jade and agate on your face.”
In the mural Palace Ladies and Attendants from the tomb of Prince Zhanghuai (a Tang crown prince), we see a fairly clear image of su shan – the central attendant holds a rectangular tray with a white, piled object. Interestingly, in another mural, some scholars think the attendant holds a miniature landscape, while others argue it is su shan. That very debate shows how artistic Tang desserts were – when a sweet looks like a potted bonsai, you know aesthetics mattered.
Su shan had strict class boundaries. Because ice cellars required huge investment, only imperial and aristocratic families could enjoy ice in summer. As one source notes, “Su shan was only eaten by the imperial family, nobles, and the very wealthy – it embodied the elegance and opulence of the upper class.” A Tang lyric (春光好) says: “Jade fingers cut silk ribbons, golden plates are adorned with su shan” – gold plates with su shan: that was the ultimate afternoon tea of Tang high society.
2.2 Cherries with Sugarcane Syrup – The Most Sought‑After Spring Delicacy
If su shan was the summer must‑have, then spring belonged to cherries.
Cherries were the Tang people’s favourite fruit, bar none. They weren’t just fruit – they were a political symbol of imperial favour. There was even a poetic genre called “cherry imperial edict” (樱桃制) – successful imperial examination candidates would sing of cherries at the “cherry banquet” hosted by the emperor.
And how did they eat them? With exquisite refinement. The Biography of Consort Yang (杨太妃外传) records that Emperor Xuanzong, in his old age, was so grief‑stricken over Yang Guifei that he lost his appetite – “Empress Zhang presented cherries with sugarcane syrup, but the Sacred Emperor would not eat them.” That “cherries with sugarcane syrup” (zhejiang jiao yingtao) was the most cherished spring dessert in Chang’an.
There was an even more lavish version – cherries with fresh cheese (lao yingtao): pour fresh dairy curds over ruby‑red cherries, then add amber‑coloured iced sugarcane syrup. The richness of the cheese, the sweetness of the fruit, and the chill of the syrup created a sensation. Tang poets couldn’t stop praising it – “Golden plate, cheese so cold it makes your teeth tingle” captures that indulgent moment.
2.3 Bi Luo (饆饠) – The “Sweet Stuffed Pastry” from the Western Regions
While su shan and cheese‑cherries were aristocratic treats, bi luo (饆饠) was truly a dessert for everyone.
Bi luo was a Hu‑style (Central Asian) stuffed pastry, somewhat like today’s filled pancakes or turnovers. It had entered China long before the Tang – as early as the Han Dynasty, when General Ban Chao opened the Silk Road – but it truly flourished in the Tang. According to the Miscellaneous Morsels from Youyang (酉阳杂俎), in Tang Chang’an, more than half of the street stalls sold all kinds of bi luo.
Bi luo came in both savoury and sweet versions. The common ones were filled with scallions or minced meat, like today’s savoury pancakes. But the premium versions could be stuffed with crab roe – the text describes “red and yellow roe like egg yolk, mixed with the white crab meat, stuffed back into the shell, seasoned with five flavours, and covered with fine flour – this is called crab bi luo.”
The sweet star was cherry bi luo – the pastry skin was made translucent and pink, and when steamed, the cherries inside kept their bright colour, looking like a pink maiden’s heart. The Tang chef Han Yue (韩约) was famous for his cherry bi luo, “he could make cherry bi luo without changing its colour” – a remarkable skill for the time.
2.4 Han Ju (寒具) – The Ancestor of Modern Fried Dough Twists
Han ju (寒具) were ring‑shaped fried dough snacks, similar to today’s Chinese fried dough twists (mahua) or crispy noodles (sanzi). They weren’t invented in the Tang – they date back to the Zhou Dynasty – but they were originally used as sacrificial offerings. It was only in the Tang that han ju evolved into a sweet, crispy confection beloved by literati and commoners alike.
2.5 Red‑Silk Pastry Rolls (红绫饼餤) – The “Honour Badge” for Scholars
Red‑silk pastry rolls (hongling bingdan) were the ultimate treat for top scholars and high officials. They were often bestowed by the emperor at the graduation banquets for successful candidates in the imperial examinations. Sadly, the recipe is now lost. One record says that in the late Tang, Emperor Zhaozong sent twenty‑eight rolls of these delicious pastries, each tied with red silk, to twenty‑eight new jinshi degree holders.
Though the complete method is unknown, we get clues from the Tang‑era pastry relics unearthed from the Astana Tombs in Turpan, and from a description by the Tang writer Zhang Zhuo (张鷟): “A thin pancake more than a yard wide, wrapped around a filling as thick as a pillar.” That gives us a sense of their grandeur.
3. The Archaeologist’s “Hard Evidence”: Tang Desserts Are No Legend
Someone might ask: aren’t these accounts just poetic exaggeration?
No – because archaeologists have dug up the real thing.
In the Astana Tombs in Turpan, Xinjiang, a group of burial pastry offerings were discovered. Thanks to the region’s extreme aridity, these pastries survived over a thousand years of dehydration and retained their original shapes remarkably well. Among them were layered square cakes, rhombus‑shaped flaky pastries, and more.
Even more astonishing, archaeologists found a cake that had been preserved for about a millennium – its appearance is strikingly similar to today’s mooncakes, and it bears typical Tang decorative motifs. This is the most complete Tang‑era pastry found to date.
Written records can be embellished, but artefacts never lie. These silent “Tang desserts” rest quietly in museums, more convincing than any literary source.
4. The Lasting Influence of Tang Desserts on East Asian Food Culture
The influence of Tang desserts extended far beyond the empire’s borders.
Japanese scholars, in works like A History of Japanese Food, record a host of pastries learned from the Tang, collectively called “Tang confections” (唐菓子). Today’s world‑famous Japanese wagashi trace their roots directly to these Tang confections. However, due to differences in available ingredients between China and Japan, wagashi had to “simplify” – many ingredients were hard to obtain, so they were omitted. Thus, modern wagashi cannot fully represent the richness of Tang pastries.
In other words, the delicate wagashi we admire in Japan today is only a “stripped‑down version” of Tang dessert culture – the real Tang offering was far more abundant and luxurious.
5. Seeing the Great Tang Through Desserts: The Flavour Code of an Era
The flourishing of Tang desserts was never just about eating. Behind it lay the spirit of the entire age:
First, open‑mindedness. Bi luo came from the Western Regions; su (“butter”) came from northern nomads; sugar‑making technology came from India. The Tang people didn’t reject foreign influences – they absorbed, refined, and elevated them. A dynasty so open to new flavours could hardly be anything less than great.
Second, superb craftsmanship. The techniques of dripping and sculpting su shan, the skill of keeping cherries bright in cherry bi luo – all show the extraordinary abilities of Tang artisans. Desserts were not just food; they were works of art.
Third, confident extravagance. Ice cellars, sugarcane syrup, gold plates, dairy cream – things that seem ordinary today were top‑tier luxuries in the Tang. Being able to combine these elements into a single dessert required immense economic strength and material abundance.
Fourth, a refined lifestyle. In the murals of Prince Zhanghuai’s tomb, attendants carry su shan; at the imperial examination banquets, the emperor bestows red‑silk pastry rolls. The Tang people turned dessert‑eating into ritual, into aesthetics, into culture.
Conclusion: The Real Tang Desserts Are Even More Spectacular Than Legend
Let’s return to the question we started with: what exactly are we “doubting” about Tang desserts today?
Perhaps we aren’t doubting whether the Tang had desserts – the artefacts have already settled that. What we really question are the over‑romanticised “ancient recipe recreations,” the TV‑drama versions of “Tang confections,” and the commercially packaged “Tang‑style afternoon teas.”
Authentic Tang desserts need no embellishment. Su shan is su shan – a primitive combination of butter and ice, without the smoothness of modern ice cream, yet it carried the dignity that nobles felt when they held it in their hands 1,300 years ago. Cherries with sugarcane syrup are just that – the sweetness of sugar, the freshness of the fruit, the richness of cheese – all colliding on Tang palates to create the luxury of that era.
The truth is always more fascinating than fiction.
What Tang desserts leave us is not just a menu, but an attitude toward life – to take every meal seriously, to turn ordinary food into ritual, and to savour the fullness of life through the pleasures of taste. That, perhaps, is the greatest reward we gain from revisiting the history of Tang‑era sweets, a thousand years later.
References: Table.Media, Youyang Zazu (Miscellaneous Morsels from Youyang), Ode to Suhe Mountain, Biography of Consort Yang, Essential Techniques for the Common People, New Book of Tang, Essential Documents of the Tang, and archaeological reports from the Astana Tombs in Turpan.
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