Deuk deuk tong (
啄啄糖) or commonly referred to as ding ding tong (
叮叮糖) is a type of traditional candy in
Hong Kong. It is a hard
maltose candy with
sesame and
ginger flavours. The sweet is made by first melting maltose, then adding to it various ingredients and continuously stirring the mixture. Before the mixture solidifies, it is put on a metal stick and pulled into a line shape, then coiled into the shape of a plate.
In Cantonese, deuk means chiselling, breaking things into pieces. When
street hawkers sold the candy, it was necessary for them to break apart its original shape with a pair of flat chisels, namely "deuk". The act of chiselling makes noise and attracts children to buy. Deuk Deuk Tong was thus named (Tóng means "candy" in
Cantonese). Today, in order to cater to young people's tastes, different flavours of Deuk Deuk Tong are also made, including
coconut,
chocolate,
mango,
banana, and
strawberry flavours.