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皮糖張的祖先原是山西人。明清初年，攜家帶口隨難民一路北上，熬糖叫賣，糊口為生。他們做的糖，花樣很多，活靈活現，難民們買些糖哄孩子，慢慢人們習慣把這一家人稱『糖人張』。
後來，『糖人張』落戶天津大直沽一帶，打鼓賣糖。道光年間，先祖張少公在『粱家嘴』蓋廠房，搞批發。一天，張家門口倒臥一個人，已奄奄一息，張少公急忙救起。此人叫張萬年，乃廣東潮州人，也是做糖果生意的，因吸大煙家庭敗落，來北尋親戚借錢，想重頭再來，不想身患肺炎。為了答謝救命之恩，張萬年將自己做『牛皮糖』的手藝傳給張少公。清朝光緒年間，唐人張又改稱為『皮糖張』，在粱家嘴一帶(現紅橋區)戳起了『皮糖張糖坊『的牌子。20世紀初，第二代傳人張均綜合了天津劉記和業記皮糖的特點，將皮糖技術推進了一大步。
80年代的改革開發給皮糖張帶來了春天。第三代傳人張學禮先生根據業家皮糖的柔軟，劉家皮糖的硬脆，結合自己皮糖的香甜，精心熬制出具有傳統特色，聚眾家之精華口感為軟、硬、韌、脆為特色的皮糖，『皮糖張』的字號也隨之享譽全國。
1991年張學禮將這份手藝傳給了第四代傳人張琦。1996年在申請商標注冊時，原想的『皮糖張』三個字注冊，當時商標法規定：不能以姓氏及商品通用名稱來注冊，只好根據產品老少皆宜的特點，注冊了『老少樂』為皮糖張的商標。皮糖張現有18種口味，用精選的芝麻、白沙糖和精致淀粉制成。工藝古朴，以明火熬制，純手工制作。低糖又不?嗓子，耐嚼又不粘牙。到21世紀，又推出了酥糖、巧克力、麻花等系列產品。產品不僅在全國各大市場銷售，還遠銷日本、德國、俄羅斯等國。
Zhang」s Soft Chewy Candy
A famous local specialty
Zhang Shaogong, the founder of Zhang」s Soft Chewy Candy, was originally from Shanxi. At the end of Ming Dynasty and the beginning of Qing Dynasty, his family migrated to the north with refugees and made a living selling homemade candy during the long move. Their delicious candy came in many vivid shapes, so the refugees」 kids just had to have them. There」s nothing like a tasty piece of candy to bring some joy to a long, arduous migration, right? They became known for their candy, and people began to call the family 『Sugar Figurine Zhang.』
After settling down in Tianjin, the family continued to sell their candy. During Emperor Daoguang」s Regime in the Qing Dynasty, Zhang Shaogong established a factory in Tianjin and sold the candy wholesale under the name Zhang」s Sugar Candy. One fortuitous day, a stranger fainted in front of Zhang」s house. Zhang took him home and called some doctors over to see what the hell was wrong with the guy. Well, that guy turned out to be Zhang Wannian, a skilled candy maker from Guangdong province. He had gone through some bad times and was addicted to opium. He spent all his money on the sweet relief it brought. Desperate, he came to Tianjin to seek the help of his friends and relatives, but somehow managed to contract pneumonia and pass out in just the right spot. He was very grateful for the help, and in order to pay back his debt, he taught Zhang Shaogong his super special method of making soft chewy candies. Awesome! During Emperor Guangxu」s Regime in the Qing Dynasty, Zhang Shaogong took full advantage of his new skill, and Zhang」s Sugar Candy was renamed Zhang」s Soft Chewy Candy. He set up a new workshop in Hongqiao District.
In the early 20th century, Zhang Jun, who had the family business passed on to him, brought many of the other styles of soft chewy candies in the city under the Zhang」s Candy umbrella and took the family business to a whole new level.
Zhang」s Soft Chewy Candy saw even more favorable conditions after the reforms of the 1980s. Zhang Xueli, the third generation Zhang, studied the soft chewy candies made by other workshops and started a chewy candy revolution: hard outside, soft inside. It wasn」t long before Zhang」s Soft Chewy Candy became a household name nationwide.
In 1991, Zhang Xueli handed down the special candy making skill to the fourth generation. In 1996, they tried to register the name Zhang」s Soft Chewy Candy but failed. The reason was that in China, a brand name cannot include a person」s surname. They settled on the name Lao Shao Le, which literally means something enjoyed by both young and old.
Today, there are 18 flavors of candy. Made of choice sesames, powdered sugar, and starch, their handmade candies are low in sugar, chewy, and neither too sweet nor too sticky. In recent years, they have started to produce some other snacks, such as crisp candy, chocolates, and fried dough twists. All their products sell very well in supermarkets nationwide, and are also successful abroad, especially in Japan, Germany, and Russia.
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