Wagashi, traditional Japanese sweets, would make you feel the changing of seasons.
From the colors and aroma of the treats, we feel a specific season. Here are
three Japanese sweets that you can find and buy at Wagashi shops in spring and early summer. The filling of all the
three is red beans paste, called anko.
1. Uguisu
Mochi
Uguisu, a Japanese bush warbler, is known as a bird to tell you the coming
of spring. Uguisu mochi represents an
image of uguisu, the green bird, and
makes you feel spring. Made by covering the filling paste with gyuhi, which is made from glutinous rice
or glutinous rice flour, and then sprinkling roasted and ground green soybean
flour.
The origin of this confectionery is said to
be back to a spring of the late 16th century. This kind of
confectionery was served to Toyotomi Hideyoshi in a tea ceremony for him. He loved
it so much and named it as Uguisu mochi.
2. Sakura
Mochi
Sakura
mochi with the delicate aroma of salt-pickled sakura leaf is a staple wagashi of spring for Japanese people. Interestingly,
you can find two types of Sakura mochi
– Chomeiji (Tokyo type, photo down)
and Domyoji (Osaka type, photo up). Tokyo
type: made by putting the filling paste inside the dough made from lightly
roasted flour, and then wrapping it with the sakura leaf. Osaka type: the filling paste covered by domyojiko (course rice power made from
steamed glutinous rice), then wrapped it with the sakura leaf.
3. Kashiwa
Mochi
In mid-April, the main wagashi in shops changes to Kashiwa
mochi, which is an offering on May 5th for Tango-no-sekku. Today, it is designated as Children’s day, but
originally it was called as Boy’s festival. The filling is covered with soft
chewy mochi, and then wrapped with a
oak leaf. The aroma of leaf is transferred to the mochi, you can enjoy the fresh aroma when you eat it. FYI, the leaf
cannot be eaten. A Kashiwa leaf means
for the prosperity of descendants or family fortune in Japan, because the
leaves do not fall until the tree grows new ones.
By Junko
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