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Japanese Sweets
Miniture pieces of Edible Art
I love Japanese sweets and first discovered them when I began studying the
Japanese tea ceremony.
The beautiful shapes and colours of Japanese candy were probably the first thing that struck me.
Each week I had the chance to try a different kind of Japanese sweet at my tea ceremony class. The kind of wagashi served always reflected nature and the particular season.
During the blossoming of the cherry blossoms, you can usually eat 'sakura mochi'. The sweet is usually placed or wrapped in the leaf from a cherry blossom tree.
Wagashi really evolved with the tea ceremony during the Edo period (1603-1868) in Japan. Japanese candy is always served to the guest before they are given the tea. This is to balance the slight bitterness in the
matcha tea.
Although wagashi are sweet, the main ingredient is 'an', which is a mixture of azuki beans (small red beans) and sugar. 'An' is also often combined with mochi, which is a paste made from glutinous rice.
You can see the purple centre-this is the 'an'. It has a lovely sweet flavour, but is not overpowering and too rich like many tradtional western sweets.
As there are no dairy products or eggs in Japanese candy, they are healthier than western desserts.
The variety of wagashi continues to amaze me, even after 3 years living in Japan. Some Japanese candy is shaped in the wooden moulds, as they have been for centuries. Others, are shaped by hand, or using special tools.
One thing that is for sure, is that not only do they taste delicious, indulging in Japanes sweets, allows you to reflect on nature and the richness of Japanese culture and tradition.
Japanese sweets are an important part of the Japanese tea ceremony. To learn more about this beautiful tradition in Japan click here.
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