Traditional Japanese sweets

Anybody who has had a Japanese meal will know that the serving of sweet desserts as afters doesn't happen. Usually one is offered exquisitely cut and arranged fresh fruit, but cake, or pudding, should not be on the menu. Western style cakes and desserts are very popular now in Japan, but are eaten as snacks, with afternoon tea or coffee.

Traditional sweets (wagashi) made from sugar, flour and glutinous rice, stuffed with red bean and sugar, usually served with bitter green tea.

Traditional Japanese sweets, or cakes, are also eaten as snacks, but served with unsweetened Japanese green tea, or matcha. Or used as a sweetmeat to be taken with the bitter Japanese powdered green tea. When I say traditional sweets, the eating of sugar as a snack only dates back to just before the Edo period, in the late fifteen hundreds. Hideyoshi became fond of taking sugar with his tea, to curb the bitterness. Hideyoshi was a great follower of tea ceremony, and used these gatherings as forums to discuss matters of state. Tea ceremony grew in popularity throughout the Edo period, and the manufacture of sweetmeats dates from that time. It is difficult to know exactly how sugar was introduced into Japan. Some historians say by the Chinese, others by the Dutch. But it is known that the Dutch traders bought sugar into Nagasaki as one of their imported goods. The road between Nagasaki and Kyoto was called 'the sugar road'.

Pressed sugar (kampeto) and  colored sugar clusters, the first kinds of sweets to be eaten with tea.

The first sugars sweets to be eaten with tea are the traditional little sugar clusters, and the pressed sugar sweets (kampeto), introduced by the Dutch. And the colorings were natural food colors, but now all manner of food dyes are used to obtain the bright and subtle shades that have become popular. The range of Japanese sweetmeats (wagashi) has been considerably expanded in modern times, using glutinous rice, flour and sugar to make the outer 'skins', and red bean (azuki) and sugar, or red bean paste (an).

Strawberry and cream centred modern variation of manju. The pink skin is made from cooked glutinous rice, pounded to a smooth paste, which feels as soft as velvet.

There are also some modern variations using strawberries and cream on a layer of sponge cake as a centre. One type I have photographed here is made from glutinous rice, stuffed with red bean paste, and wrapped in a pickled cherry (sakura) leaf for flavor. You eat the leaf as well. The sweets themselves are works of art, beautifully and meticulously crafted and presented. They visually enhance the process of tea drinking, as well as providing sweet relief from the bitterness of the tea.

Sakura leaf flavored sweet, made from glutinous rice and stuffed with red bean paste.

Japan imports about 75% of the sugar it needs, mainly from Brazil, India and Australia. Japanese sugar is grown in Hokkaido as sugar beet, and in Okinawa and the islands off Kagoshima as sugar cane. The pressed sugar sweets are now made from a very fine sugar processed from a cane only farmed in Shikoko, called wasanbon. It is a pale ivory color, and has a very delicate, unique flavor.

There sweets are available in Japanese supermarkets, or in souvenir stalls at the airports, but to experience them at their finest one should seek out a respected traditional sweet shop, which exist everywhere in Japan, and while away some time inspecting the confectioners handiwork. You will likely be offered a nice cup of tea while you are browsing.

Comments

[marlof]

That foodshot has made my mouth water. Very nice details and lighting!

[Ray Kinnane]

Thanks marlof. The sweets actually look much better in real life. I damaged a couple of them slightly getting them out of the little boxes they pack them in! But they still tasted great.

The lighting is a CT45 Metz with a small softbox attached.

Ray Kinnane

[Le Huong]

I'm very interested in Japanese traditional cakes and lacking of information. Your post is exciting and I really appreciate it and it is great that I can exchange with you about this topic. If possible I hope to get your feedback.

[Ray Kinnane]

Thanks Le Huong. Exactly what information would you like to know? I am happy to help you as much as I can, although I am no expert by any means! Please post again with your questions, and I will do my best to answer them.

Ray Kinnane

[Rebecca]

these look really good and delicious...! i want to try some!

[Lindsey R]

This was very informative. I am trying to find some different kinds of sweets that are served with tea, for a project. This really helped me out. Thanks!

[andy]

Your post really helped me? do you know any sites offering stepbystep tutorials? Thanks

[Raylene]

Wow! These look so yummy, especially the manju. I'm definitly going to try some. Thank you for posting this. ;D

[asuacommo]

i love food and trying to research it is so hard to do. Great job fitting in history without it being boring or uninteresting. Overal terrific!!! Congrates!!!

[John Goyeau]

Does anyone know of a U.S. mail order seller of wagashi or Yokan? I need a nice Japanese gift. ~JG