Ready to try anko confectioneries? Your local Uwajimaya grocery store carries many options to choose from. Here are our recommendations. Daifuku This is perfect for those who are curious about daifuku after reading about it in Origami! Daifuku comes in several kinds such as simple shiro (white), sesame, mame (bean), etc. We suggest you try the shiro daifuku first to see if you like...
If you can’t make it to Japan but are jonesing for some Japanese sweets, don’t fret. Seattle has more and more options to choose from these days. We’ve got traditional Japanese confectioneries made with a delicate aroma and taste of green tea, sweets with anko, cake made out of numerous layered handmade crêpes, and newly released matcha chocolate bars. Here are the places ready...
When I visit Japan, one of the highlights of my trip is to indulge in the delicious food. As I have a sweet tooth, I am especially in heaven with all those confections, from the traditional Japanese sweets to the European-influenced baked goods available in Japan. At the end of the trip, I even check out the airport shops to buy additional sweets to...
Fran’s chocolates Check out Fran’s Japanese collection of urushi lacquer boxes and bowls filled with the chocolatier’s legendary salted caramels. Green tea lovers should try Fran’s matcha bar, released last summer. It’s made with organic matcha and white chocolate. The bar has a strong matcha flavor. Another fun option is to take the Fran’s “guided tasting experience” tour at the flagship store in Seattle....
In 1865, Seishichi Fujiya opened a Japanese sweets shop on Shichijo-dori in Kyoto. More than 150 years later, the confectioner is still there selling traditional. Despite its long history, Shichijo-Kansyundo is not bogged down by tradition. The current president has created a unique line of Kyogashi, or Kyoto- style sweets. Shichijo-Kansyundo has three stores in Kyoto. The main store has a café right next...
Daifuku Daifuku is a traditional Japanese confectionery of sweet azuki paste covered in chewy mochi. The Daifuku can be traced back to China, where it originated as a light meal called meat stuffing, which was meat wrapped in a skin of wheat. It travelled into Japan in the second half of the 6th century. The Zen priests were forbidden from eating meat, which was...
These days, everybody knows sushi, sukiyaki and tempura, but anko is still relatively unknown. Like sushi and tempura, anko is part of Japan’s culinary tradition, and a type of confectionery made from beans. It appears as black paste, wherein lies its first obstacle to its global appeal (“Ew, black beans in a dessert? Not appetizing.”). And, there are so few Western recipes that call...
