Wagashi
Encyclopedia
is a traditional Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese confectionery
Confectionery
Confectionery is the set of food items that are rich in sugar, any one or type of which is called a confection. Modern usage may include substances rich in artificial sweeteners as well...
which is often served with tea, especially the types made of mochi, azuki bean paste, and fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
s.
Wagashi is typically made from natural (mainly plant) ingredients. The names used for wagashi commonly fit a formula—a natural beauty and a word from ancient literature; they are thus often written with hyōgaiji
Hyogaiji
, literally characters from outside the table are Japanese kanji outside the two major lists Jōyō, which are taught in primary and secondary school, and Jinmeiyō, which are additional kanji that officially are allowed for use in personal names....
(kanji that are not commonly used or known), and are glossed with furigana
Furigana
is a Japanese reading aid, consisting of smaller kana, or syllabic characters, printed next to a kanji or other character to indicate its pronunciation. In horizontal text, yokogaki, they are placed above the line of text, while in vertical text, tategaki, they are placed to the right of the line...
.
Most wagashi are made entirely of plant-based ingredients.
Ancient
Nut (fruit)
A nut is a hard-shelled fruit of some plants having an indehiscent seed. While a wide variety of dried seeds and fruits are called nuts in English, only a certain number of them are considered by biologists to be true nuts...
as confectionery and sweets, to supplement nutrition in addition to grain, such as rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
, wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
and millet
Millet
The millets are a group of small-seeded species of cereal crops or grains, widely grown around the world for food and fodder. They do not form a taxonomic group, but rather a functional or agronomic one. Their essential similarities are that they are small-seeded grasses grown in difficult...
. In an excavation of a Jōmon period
Jomon period
The is the time in Japanese prehistory from about 14,000 BC to 300 BC.The term jōmon means "cord-patterned" in Japanese. This refers to the pottery style characteristic of the Jōmon culture, and which has markings made using sticks with cords wrapped around them...
archeological site, the carbonized remains of what appeared to be baked cookie
Cookie
In the United States and Canada, a cookie is a small, flat, baked treat, usually containing fat, flour, eggs and sugar. In most English-speaking countries outside North America, the most common word for this is biscuit; in many regions both terms are used, while in others the two words have...
s made from chestnut
Japanese Chestnut
Japanese Chestnut is a species of chestnut originally native to Japan and South Korea. It is a small to medium-sized deciduous tree growing to 10-15 m tall. The leaves are similar to those of the Sweet Chestnut, though usually a little smaller, 8-19 cm long and 3-5 cm broad...
powder were discovered.
According to the Kojiki
Kojiki
is the oldest extant chronicle in Japan, dating from the early 8th century and composed by Ō no Yasumaro at the request of Empress Gemmei. The Kojiki is a collection of myths concerning the origin of the four home islands of Japan, and the Kami...
, Emperor Suinin
Emperor Suinin
; also known as Ikumeiribikoisachi no Mikoto; was the 11th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.No firm dates can be assigned to this emperor's life or reign, but he is conventionally considered to have reigned from 29 BC–AD 70....
ordered Tajima-mori to bring from the Eternal Land. 10 years later, Tajima-mori returned with the orange, but Emperor Suinin was already dead. Tajima-mori mourned since he could not carry out his mission and took his own life. By tradition, Tajima-mori is worshiped as spirit
Kami
is the Japanese word for the spirits, natural forces, or essence in the Shinto faith. Although the word is sometimes translated as "god" or "deity", some Shinto scholars argue that such a translation can cause a misunderstanding of the term...
like a patron saint
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
among confectionery craftsmen.
Grain processing technology evolved through rice cultivation. People began to produce a parched rice (yaigome), sun-dried cooked rice (hoshi-ii), rice flour, dumpling
Dumpling
Dumplings are cooked balls of dough. They are based on flour, potatoes or bread, and may include meat, fish, vegetables, or sweets. They may be cooked by boiling, steaming, simmering, frying, or baking. They may have a filling, or there may be other ingredients mixed into the dough. Dumplings may...
(dango
Dango
is a Japanese dumpling made from mochiko , related to mochi. It is often served with green tea.Dango are eaten year-round, but the different varieties are traditionally eaten in given seasons...
), mochi, ame
Mizuame
is a sweetener from Japan which is translated literally to 'water candy'. A clear, thick, sticky liquid, it is made by converting starch to sugars. Mizuame is added to wagashi to give them a sheen, eaten in ways similar to honey and can be a main ingredient in sweets...
(made of saccharified rice malt) and so on. Thus, ancient people's confectionery was very simple.
Tang confectionery
Japan sent envoyImperial embassies to China
The Japanese Missions to Imperial China were diplomatic embassies which were intermittently sent to the Chinese court. Any distinction amongst diplomatic envoys sent from the Imperial Japanese court or from any of the Japanese shogunates was lost or rendered moot when the ambassador was received in...
s to the Sui
Sui Dynasty
The Sui Dynasty was a powerful, but short-lived Imperial Chinese dynasty. Preceded by the Southern and Northern Dynasties, it ended nearly four centuries of division between rival regimes. It was followed by the Tang Dynasty....
and Tang Dynasty
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
from the Asuka period
Asuka period
The , was a period in the history of Japan lasting from 538 to 710 , although its beginning could be said to overlap with the preceding Kofun period...
to the beginning of the Heian period
Heian period
The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. The period is named after the capital city of Heian-kyō, or modern Kyōto. It is the period in Japanese history when Buddhism, Taoism and other Chinese influences were at their height...
. They brought back eight and 14 and the recipes. The Tang confectioneries were kneaded wheat flour and rice flour, and fried in oil. These were more advanced than the confectionery technology of Japan in those days. They were served at the Imperial Court and offered to Shintoist and Buddhist deities. According to one view, a dark brown sugar
Brown sugar
Brown sugar is a sucrose sugar product with a distinctive brown color due to the presence of molasses. It is either an unrefined or partially refined soft sugar consisting of sugar crystals with some residual molasses content, or it is produced by the addition of molasses to refined white...
was also brought back from China by Jianzhen
Jianzhen
Jianzhen was a Chinese monk who helped to propagate Buddhism in Japan. In the eleven years from 743 to 754, Jianzhen attempted to visit Japan some six times.-Life:...
who came to Japan from the Tang in this period. However, since sugar-refining technology was not introduced to Japan at this point, the sugar was very rare and was treasured like a medicine. Generally, was used as a sweetener at this time.
During this period, many diaries and tales were written among upper class and aristocrats. The Tale of Genji
The Tale of Genji
is a classic work of Japanese literature attributed to the Japanese noblewoman Murasaki Shikibu in the early 11th century, around the peak of the Heian period. It is sometimes called the world's first novel, the first modern novel, the first psychological novel or the first novel still to be...
, The Pillow Book
The Pillow Book
is a book of observations and musings recorded by Sei Shōnagon during her time as court lady to Empress Consort Teishi during the 990s and early 11th century in Heian Japan. The book was completed in the year 1002....
and The Diary of Izumi Shikibu
Izumi Shikibu
was a mid Heian period Japanese poet. She is a member of the . She was the contemporary of Murasaki Shikibu, and Akazome Emon at the court of Joto Mon'in.-Early life:...
have some episodes about confectionery. Moreover, the records manifesting a life situation also increased with improvement of a government institution. They are how we know confectionery culture of those days.
- Tang confectioneries
- Major eights: Baishi, Danki, Hichira, Kakko, Keishin, Tensei, Tōshi and Tsuishi.
- Others: Buto, Fuzuku, Heidan, Hōtō (According to one theory, it is an archetype of HōtōHotothumb|300px|A typical serving of Hōtō is a popular regional dish originating from Yamanashi, Japan made by stewing flat udon noodles and vegetables in miso soup...
), Kakunawa, Konton, Magari, Mugikata and Sakuhei.
- Aozashi: It is made of parched green wheat flour and twisted like a thread.
- Kezurihi: Shaved ice flavored with amazura-sen syrup. It is called kakigoriKakigoriis a Japanese shaved ice dessert flavored with syrup and condensed milk.Popular flavors include: strawberry, cherry, lemon, green tea, grape, melon, "Blue Hawaii," sweet plum, and colorless syrup. Some shops provide colorful varieties by using two or more different syrups. To sweeten kakigōri,...
today.
- Some mochi-based confectioneries. For example:
- Tsubaki mochii: A mochi flavored with amazura-sen syrup.
- Inoko mochii: A mochi shaped as a wild boar piglet.
Introduction of tea
The first introduction of teaTea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
in Japan is unclear. In 729, Emperor Shōmu
Emperor Shomu
was the 45th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.Shōmu's reign spanned the years 724 through 723.-Traditional narrative:...
held a ritual of the tea party after sutra
Sutra
Sūtra is an aphorism or a collection of such aphorisms in the form of a manual. Literally it means a thread or line that holds things together and is derived from the verbal root siv-, meaning to sew , as does the medical term...
recitation. In 815, Emperor Saga
Emperor Saga
was the 52nd emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Saga's reign spanned the years from 809 through 823.-Traditional narrative:...
was given a cup of tea by the high priest. During the Heian period
Heian period
The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. The period is named after the capital city of Heian-kyō, or modern Kyōto. It is the period in Japanese history when Buddhism, Taoism and other Chinese influences were at their height...
it seems that the customs of tea drinking had not been established outside of Temples and Buddhism, and had not progressed into domestic culture. Therefore, the standard introduction is in 1191, when the famous Zen
Zen
Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism founded by the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma. The word Zen is from the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word Chán , which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word dhyāna, which can be approximately translated as "meditation" or "meditative state."Zen...
priest Eisai
Eisai
Myōan Eisai was a Japanese Buddhist priest, credited with bringing the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism and green tea from China to Japan. He is often known simply as Eisai Zenji , literally "Zen master Eisai"....
brought back tea seeds to Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
. Then, confectionery was improved as a snack or a light meal to accompany tea.
In 1349, who came from Yuan
Yuan Dynasty
The Yuan Dynasty , or Great Yuan Empire was a ruling dynasty founded by the Mongol leader Kublai Khan, who ruled most of present-day China, all of modern Mongolia and its surrounding areas, lasting officially from 1271 to 1368. It is considered both as a division of the Mongol Empire and as an...
to Japan with a Zen priest. He lived in Nara
Nara, Nara
is the capital city of Nara Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. The city occupies the northern part of Nara Prefecture, directly bordering Kyoto Prefecture...
, and sold steamed filled dumplings. However, since meat eating was a taboo in Japan at that time, azuki bean paste sweetened with honeysuckle syrup was used as a replacement filling. This was very popular and was presented to the Imperial Court repeatedly. Then, Rin married and was naturalized in Japan. The manjū
Manju (food)
is a popular traditional Japanese confection. There are many varieties of manjū, but most have an outside made from flour, rice powder and buckwheat and a filling of an , made from boiled azuki beans and sugar. They are boiled together again and kneaded...
store which he opened is still operating in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
as . Moreover, from 1949, Rin was worshiped as ancestor of manjū in Hayashi shrine in Nara.
Nanban confectionery
In 1543, PortuguesePortuguese people
The Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
were shipwrecked on Tanegashima Isle. Some European confectioneries became popular in Japan during the Nanban trade
Nanban trade
The or the in Japanese history extends from the arrival of the first Europeans to Japan in 1543, to their near-total exclusion from the archipelago in 1614, under the promulgation of the "Sakoku" Seclusion Edicts.- Etymology :...
. These were referred to as , or "Wagashi with a new wind".
In Japan, cattle are not common, therefore non-dairy based confectionery was more popular, in particular castella
Castella
is a popular Japanese sponge cake made of sugar, flour, eggs, and starch syrup, very common at festivals and as a street food.Now a specialty of Nagasaki, the cake was brought by way of Portuguese merchants in the 16th century. The name is derived from Portuguese Pão de Castela, meaning "bread from...
, kompeito
Kompeito
Kompeito, also spelled as konpeito is a Japanese candy.-History:The word "konpeito" comes from the Portuguese word confeito, which means a sugar candy. This technique for producing candy was introduced to Japan in the early 16th century by Portuguese traders. The infrastructure and refining...
, aruheitō, karumera, keiran sōmen, bōro and bisukauto
Biscuit
A biscuit is a baked, edible, and commonly flour-based product. The term is used to apply to two distinctly different products in North America and the Commonwealth Nations....
.
Edo period
During the Edo periodEdo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
, the production of sugarcane
Sugarcane
Sugarcane refers to any of six to 37 species of tall perennial grasses of the genus Saccharum . Native to the warm temperate to tropical regions of South Asia, they have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar, and measure two to six metres tall...
in Okinawa became highly productive, and low quality brown sugar
Brown sugar
Brown sugar is a sucrose sugar product with a distinctive brown color due to the presence of molasses. It is either an unrefined or partially refined soft sugar consisting of sugar crystals with some residual molasses content, or it is produced by the addition of molasses to refined white...
as well as heavily processed white sugar became widely available. A type of sugar, wasanbon
Wasanbon
Wasanbon is a fine-grained Japanese sugar, traditionally made in the Shikoku prefectures Tokushima and Kagawa. The sugar is often used for Japanese sweets . The sugar is made from thin sugarcane plants grown locally in Shikoku, called taketō or chikusha ....
was perfected in this period and is still used exclusively to make wagashi. Wagashi was a popular gift between samurai
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
, in significance much like a good wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
. Wagashi is served as part of a Japanese tea ceremony
Japanese tea ceremony
The Japanese tea ceremony, also called the Way of Tea, is a Japanese cultural activity involving the ceremonial preparation and presentation of matcha, powdered green tea. In Japanese, it is called . The manner in which it is performed, or the art of its performance, is called...
, and serving a good seasonal wagashi shows one's educational background.
Types of wagashi
- AnmitsuAnmitsuis a Japanese dessert that has been popular for many decades.It is made of small cubes of agar jelly, a white translucent jelly made from red algae or seaweed. The agar is dissolved with water to make the jelly...
: chilled gelatinous cubes (kanten) with fruit. - AmanattōAmanattois a Japanese traditional confectionery that is made of azuki or other beans, covered with refined sugar after simmering with sugar syrup and drying....
: simmered azuki beanAzuki beanThe is an annual vine, Vigna angularis, widely grown throughout East Asia and the Himalayas for its small bean. The cultivars most familiar in north-east Asia have a uniform red color, but white, black, gray and variously mottled varieties are also known. Scientists presume Vigna angularis var...
s or other beans with sugar, and dried. AmanattōAmanattois a Japanese traditional confectionery that is made of azuki or other beans, covered with refined sugar after simmering with sugar syrup and drying....
and nattōNattois a traditional Japanese food made from soybeans fermented with Bacillus subtilis. It is popular especially as a breakfast food. As a rich source of protein and probiotics, nattō and the soybean paste miso formed a vital source of nutrition in feudal Japan. Nattō can be an acquired taste because...
are not related although the names are similar. - BotamochiBotamochiare a springtime treat made with sweet rice and sweet azuki paste. They are made by soaking sweet rice for approximately six hours. The rice is then cooked, and a thick azuki paste is hand-packed around pre-formed balls of rice....
: a sweet riceRiceRice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
ball wrapped with anko (or an, thick azuki bean paste). - DaifukuDaifuku', or ' , is a Japanese confection consisting of a small round mochi stuffed with sweet filling, most commonly anko, sweetened red bean paste made from azuki beans....
: general term for mochi (pounded sweet rice) stuffed with anko. - DangoDangois a Japanese dumpling made from mochiko , related to mochi. It is often served with green tea.Dango are eaten year-round, but the different varieties are traditionally eaten in given seasons...
: a small, sticky sweet mochi, commonly skewered on a stick. - DorayakiDorayakiis a type of Japanese confection, а red bean pancake which consists of two small pancake-like patties made from castella wrapped around a filling of sweet red bean paste....
: a round flat sweet consisting of castella wrapped around anko - HanabiramochiHanabiramochiis a Japanese sweet , usually eaten at the beginning of the year. Hanabiramochi are also served at the first tea ceremony of the new year.- Origin :The name "hanabiramochi" literally means "flower petal mochi"...
: a flat red and white sweet mochi wrapped around anko and a strip of candied gobo (burdock). - Ikinari dango: a steamed bun with chunks of sweet potatoSweet potatoThe sweet potato is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the family Convolvulaceae. Its large, starchy, sweet-tasting, tuberous roots are an important root vegetable. The young leaves and shoots are sometimes eaten as greens. Of the approximately 50 genera and more than 1,000 species of...
in the dough, with anko in the center. It is a local confectionery in KumamotoKumamoto Prefectureis a prefecture of Japan located on Kyushu Island. The capital is the city of Kumamoto.- History :Historically the area was called Higo Province; and the province was renamed Kumamoto during the Meiji Restoration. The creation of prefectures was part of the abolition of the feudal system...
. - ImagawayakiImagawayakiis a Japanese dessert often found at festivals, also eaten in Taiwan . It is made of batter in a special pan , and filled with sweet azuki bean paste, although it is becoming increasingly popular to use a wider variety of fillings such as vanilla custard, different fruit...
(also kaitenyaki and so on): anko surrounded in a disc of fried dough covering. - Kusa mochiKusa mochi, also known as yomogi mochi, is a Japanese sweet. It is considered a seasonal dish for spring. It is made from mochi and leaf of yomogi , or more traditionally from the Gnaphalium affine . It may also be filled with red bean paste.Kusa mochi may also be used to make a kind of daifuku called yomogi...
: "grass mochi", a sweet mochi infused with Japanese mugwort (yomogi), surrounding a center of anko. - KuzumochiKuzumochiare mochi cakes made of kuzuko. It is traditionally served chilled, topped with kuromitsu and kinako.-Sources:* May 30, 2008.* Setsuko Yoshizuka, About.com Guide. August 21, 2009....
- Kuri kintonKuri KintonKuri Kinton is a side-scrolling beat 'em up arcade game published by Taito. Players control a Chinese policeman who must dispatch numerous enemies while progressing through the game's levels...
: a sweetened mixture of boiled and mashed chestnuts. - ManjūManjuManju is a Sanskrit word with following associated meanings - pleasant, sweet, snow, beautiful, Lord Shiva's name, clouds, morning dew and is predominantly an Indian male/female/given name.Manju, means a language of clouds.That is Rain...
: steamed cakes of an surrounded by a flour mixture, available in many shapes such as peaches, rabbits, and matsutakeMatsutakeMatsutake is the common name for a highly sought after mycorrhizal mushroom that grows in Asia, Europe, and North America...
(松茸) mushrooms. - MochiMochiMochi is a Japanese rice cake made of glutinous rice pounded into paste and molded into shape. In Japan it is traditionally made in a ceremony called mochitsuki. While also eaten year-round, mochi is a traditional food for the Japanese New Year and is commonly sold and eaten during that time...
: a rice cake made of glutinous rice. - MonakaMonakais a Japanese sweet made of azuki bean jam filling sandwiched between two thin crisp wafers made from mochi. The jam can not only be made from azuki beans but also with sesame seed, chestnuts, or rice cake ....
: a center of anko sandwiched between two delicate and crispy sweet rice crackers. - OshirukoOshirukoRed bean soup refers to a number of traditional Asian soups, all made with azuki beans.-China:In China, red bean soup is a popular dish. The soup is commonly thinner than the Japanese oshiruko version. It is categorized as a tang shui糖水, , or sweet soup...
(also zenzai): a hot dessert made from anko in a liquid, soup form, with small mochi floating in it. - Rakugan: a small, very solid and sweet cake which is made of rice flour and mizuameMizuameis a sweetener from Japan which is translated literally to 'water candy'. A clear, thick, sticky liquid, it is made by converting starch to sugars. Mizuame is added to wagashi to give them a sheen, eaten in ways similar to honey and can be a main ingredient in sweets...
. - SakuramochiSakuramochiis a variety of wagashi, or Japanese confectionery consisting of a sweet pink mochi and red bean paste, covered with a leaf of sakura . The style of sakuramochi differs from the regions in Japan...
: a rice cake filled with anko and wrapped in a pickled cherry leaf. - TaiyakiTaiyakiis a Japanese fish-shaped cake. The most common filling is red bean paste that is made from sweetened azuki beans. Other common fillings may be custard, chocolate, or cheese. Some shops even sell taiyaki with okonomiyaki, gyoza filling, or a sausage inside....
: like a kaitenyaki, a core of anko surrounded by a fried dough covering, but shaped like a fish. - UirōUirois a traditional Japanese steamed cake made of rice flour and sugar. It is chewy, similar to mochi, and subtly sweet. Flavors, among others, include azuki bean paste, green tea , yuzu, strawberry and chestnut...
: a steamed cake made of rice flour and sugar, similar to mochi. - WarabimochiWarabimochiWarabimochi is not true mochi but a jelly-like confection made from bracken starch and covered or dipped in kinako . It is popular in the summertime, especially in the Kansai region and Okinawa and often sold from trucks, similar to an ice cream truck in Western countries.- External links :* *...
: a wagashi traditionally made from warabiFiddlehead fernFiddleheads or Fiddlehead greens are the furled fronds of a young fern, harvested for use as a vegetable. Left on the plant, each fiddlehead would unroll into a new frond...
and served with kinakoKinako, also known as soybean flour, is a product commonly used in Japanese cuisine. Kinako is produced by finely grinding roasted soybeans into powder.Kinako, being composed of soybeans, is a healthy topping and flavoring which contains B vitamins and protein....
and kuromitsuKuromitsuis a Japanese sugar syrup, literally "black honey". It is similar to molasses, but thinner and milder.It is typically made from unrefined Okinawan kurozatō , and is a central ingredient in many sweet Japanese dishes. It is one of the ingredients used in making wagashi, and it serves well with... - YatsuhashiYatsuhashiis a Japanese confectionery sold mainly as a souvenir sweet . It is one of the best known meibutsu of Kyoto. It is made from glutinous , sugar and cinnamon. Baked, it is similar to senbei. Raw, unbaked yatsuhashi has a soft, mochi-like texture and is often eaten wrapped around , and may come in...
: thin sheets of gyūhi (sweetened mochi), available in different flavors, like cinnamon, and occasionally folded in a triangle around a ball of red anko. - YōkanYokanis a thick jellied dessert made of red bean paste, agar, and sugar. It is usually sold in a block form, and eaten in slices. There are two main types: neri yōkan and mizu yōkan. "Mizu" means "water", and indicates that it is made with more water than usual...
: one of the oldest wagashi, a solid block of anko, hardened with agarAgarAgar or agar-agar is a gelatinous substance derived from a polysaccharide that accumulates in the cell walls of agarophyte red algae. Throughout history into modern times, agar has been chiefly used as an ingredient in desserts throughout Asia and also as a solid substrate to contain culture medium...
and additional sugar. - AkumakiAkumakiAkumaki is an original Japanese-style confection, which is made in Kagoshima Prefecture, Miyazaki Prefecture and Kumamoto Prefecture during the Boy’s Festival on May 5th.- How it is made:...
:one of the confection of Kagoshima prefecture.
Classifications / Categories
_in_nara_park.jpg)
-
- , very soft and delicate seasonally varying namagashi, in various, often elaborate, shapes and colors, often reflecting seasonal plants. Some stores will have many dozens over the course of a year. (examples: http://www.kashin-tachibana.jp/wagashi/jyonamagashi.html http://www.o-sakaya.com/jounama.htm)
-
(half-wet confectionery)—contains 10%–30% moisture.
(dry confectionery)—contains 10% or less moisture.