Japanese Confectionery Reminiscent Of Cherry Blossoms
Japanese people are excited about the blooming of cherry blossoms and regret the falling petals.
Since ancient times, Japanese people have not only looked up at the cherry blossoms and rejoiced at the sight of them in full bloom, but have also sublimated their emotions swayed by the fragility of the flowers into culture and art.
“Wagashi” refers to traditional Japanese confectionery.
There is a high-grade Japanese fresh confectionery called “Jo-namagashi”.
”Jo-namagashi” is distinguished from wagashi, which was usually eaten, and was used as a gift to the imperial court, nobles, temples, and shrines, as a confectionary for the tea ceremony, and for hospitality.
It is a type of fresh confectionery made by a specialized craftsman who carefully examines the ingredients and emphasizes the sense of season and Japanese aesthetic sense.
High-grade Japanese fresh confectionery is a mixture of white bean paste and “gyuhi”, kneaded together with sugar and water.
※ “Gyuhi” is a type of rice cake made of rice flour mixed with water, steamed, and then kneaded with sugar and syrup to give it a soft texture.
After that, sugar and “mizuame”, a sweetener made from rice and sweet potato starch, are added to the mixture and kneaded.
※ “Mizuame” is a sweetener in the form of syrup made by converting starch from rice and sweet potatoes into sugar.
“Jo-namagashi” can be colored and made into various shapes such as flowers and plants.
