English Top > Foods Column > Wagashi

Wagashi

When the Japanese nation was born, Japan was known as the “Land of Wa”. Even now, the prefix “wa“ is so evocative of the essence of Japan that when you see it attached to the name of something, you know that the item in question means more to Japanese culture than just the thing in itself.

Washi (Japanese paper), Wafuku (Japanese clothes - kimono) and Washoku (Japanese cuisine) are all good examples but Wagashi (Japanese sweets) have perhaps kept their popularity through the ages more than any of the rest put together.

What is a Japanese sweet? If you are new to Wagashi, what might well throw you at first is the ubiquitous Azuki bean.These little gems are boiled and mixed with generous helpings of sugar to make an anko (paste) that forms the filling of many a sweet treat particularly Mochi (rice cakes). You will also find Azuki accompanied by Mochi in a thick sweet soup called Zenzai. Made almost entirely of Azuki is the firm, jelly-like Yokan, which often contains chestnuts. Rakugan is rock-hard sweets made by pressing sugar into artfully carved wooden moulds.But this is just the starting point.

From the same basic ingredients, comes a bewildering range of variations on a theme. Regional identity finds plenty of expression with local produce and tastes reflected in the differences in local wagashi. Finding your favorite Japanese sweet might take a whole lifetime of travel and investigation!