Don't Miss Handcrafted Dragon’s Beard Candy at Epcot's 2019 Festival of the Arts

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Epcot is highlighting the handcrafted Dragon's Beard Candy as part of the 2019 International Festival of the Arts:

Traveling from Henan Province in China to perform exclusively at this year’s Epcot International Festival of the Arts, Chef Zhang is skilled in the traditional Chinese edible folk art of handcrafting Dragon’s Beard Candy.

Crafting Dragon’s Beard Candy is a tedious and extensive process where small batches of corn syrup are boiled, cooled, then carefully and slowly stretched creating hundreds of thin threads. The resulting threads are then wrapped around various fillings such as coconut shavings, sesame seeds, chocolate or, as Chef Zhang will be doing for the Festival, crushed peanuts and walnuts. How did this candy get its unusual name? Legend has it that during the Han Dynasty, an imperial chef “performed” for the emperor by making this new candy. The strands of this candy reminded the emperor of a dragon’s beard. As dragons were the symbol of the emperor, these sweet treats were originally restricted only to the ruling class.



Chef Zhang will be demonstrating his incredible talent on select days throughout the Festival at the China pavilion. The Dragon’s Beard candy is crafted in small batches by Chef Zhang so quantities will be limited. Due to the time-consuming preparation needed for these unique candies, the demonstrations will be on alternating dates. Be sure to check your Festival Times Guide for performance times so you can experience (and taste) these edible works of art.