Wagashi (和菓子) is the traditional confection of Japan that developed with the tea ceremony. Wagashi come in a myriad of types and most are made with sweetened beans, mochi and/or fruit. The theme is always natural beauty and often have a reference to a classical poem or painting. Kyoto’s famous kyogashi (京菓子) are considered the pinnacle of sophistication and refinement in Japan.
Itadakimono from NoRecipes: The hyuganatsu is a very mysterious citrus from southern Japan that apparently just appeared in 1820. I became acquainted and enchanted with this fruit this spring thanks to a business associate that is originally from Miyazaki. The taste is uniquely sour and very fragrant. The white pith between the flesh and peel is very thick and is…
“I want to be crisp.” Very ‘Kyoto’ and ‘un-Kyoto’; it’s ‘do it yourself’ anko paste in monaka cookies! Not only that, the monaka cookie is the shape and design of a maiko’s lipstick compact. This wagashi turned out to be a lot of fun and solves a vexing problem for monaka aficionados.
’Do It Yourself’ Azuki and Monaka…
Itadakimono: Toru, one of my best friends is in Kyoto and as always he brings me some zunda mochi. He lives up north in the city of Sendai and Sendai is famous for zunda mochi. I still remember when I arrived in Japan, I went up to Sendai to see Toru and he took me to a famous ‘shinise’ zunda…
Miwa’s Kyoto Kitchen Recipe This Japanese dessert confection is called Sui-to Poteto (スウィートポテト) in Japanese. That’s the Japanese pronunciation of sweet potato, as you probably guessed. Preparation is simple; steam the sweet potato and mash with butter, sugar, eggs, milk and cinnamon and bake. They are hand formed into delicate balls. We added cinnamon as an homage to Kyoto’s famous…
Classic Japanese Candy: Sweet Potato Caramel. I have been a fan of bontan ame candy for some time and have written about it twice on KyotoFoodie. The company that makes it also makes another unique soft candy product made with the produce of Kyoto: sweet potato. I knew about this sweet potato caramel but had never been able to find…
ContactCopyright © Kyoto Foodie: Where and what to eat in Kyoto, All Rights Reserved.
