Review of wagashi and other Japanese sweets

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Japanese sweets originated with the introduction of innovative rice processing technology in the 8th century. But desserts were very expensive back then. Significant changes took place in the 17th century, due to the start of trade with Spain and Portugal. The recipes were partially borrowed from the Europeans, but in their own way, and the products began to be produced in large volumes and at a more democratic cost. In this article, we will look at the most common types of Japanese desserts.

Wagashi

Wagashi means Japanese sweets. These are traditional cakes that are served to everyone - both children and adults. For their preparation, only natural ingredients are used, such as:

• beans - red beans;
• algae;
• rice dough;
• chestnuts;
• vegetable gelatin - agar-agar;
• various supplements - teas and herbs.

Compared to European desserts, wagashi may seem savory to residents of other countries. In Japan, these sweets are soldalmost everywhere - in cafes, restaurants, street shops and pastry shops.

Wagashi are served at various events - exhibitions, festivals and so on. The most important attribute of these treats is their aesthetic appearance and presentation rather than their taste.

The base ingredient in wagashi desserts is glutinous rice dough called mochi or mochi. On its basis, both savory dishes and various desserts are made, the most common type of which is daifuku.

Daifuku is a small rice cake stuffed with a sweet filling. Traditionally, this is a bean paste, but now they are produced with a wide variety of flavors - with peanut butter, blueberries, milk filling, green tea and others. They are served in the form of balls sprinkled with powder, or strung on wooden skewers and poured with syrup. It turns out another kind of wagashi - dango.

Desserts from powdered matcha tea

Green tea powder, also known as matcha (or more commonly matcha), is widely used in all Japanese desserts. Matcha adds a more sophisticated and original flavor to ice cream, chocolate, cookies, cakes, rice cakes and other confectionery.

Green tea in the Land of the Rising Sun has been an integral part of classical tea ceremonies since ancient times. Later, powdered tea was expanded to include it in recipes for Japanese sweets, which was a great discovery.

Scientists have proven that matcha has a lot of antioxidants - substances thatreduce oxidative processes in the body and allow us to stay young and he althy longer.

Besides adding to Japanese sweets, matcha green tea is added to various drinks. In American cafeterias, it is used to make "energy drink" - coffee latte with or without ice, as well as milkshakes and smoothies. In addition, green tea powder is added to alcoholic cocktails and liquor.

Dewdrop

This huge drop of water is actually a cake called "Shigen moshi" or Mizu shingen mochi. It seems that if you pierce it with a fork, it will burst, but this is not so - the dessert has a soft and jelly texture.

Shigen Moshi is very refreshing and has no calories. It is based on water, or mizu, extracted from the springs of the Alpine mountains of Japan, which can be replaced with mineral water. The second component of "Dew Drops" is the gelling agent agar-agar.

Since the basis of the product is water, the flavor of "Dew Drops" is primarily due to spices. The dessert is usually served with brown maple or sugar syrup sprinkled with toasted soy flour. At room temperature, the water cake begins to melt, so you need to "have time" to eat it in 20-30 minutes.

Japanese cheesecake

Japan has created a unique variation of cheesecake dessert called "Japanese cotton". This airy biscuit is cooked in a water bath andtherefore has a very porous, melt-in-your-mouth texture.

Dessert was created in the 90s by Uncle Tetsu, which now has about 45 stores in Japan. There are also points of sale in the cities of China, Malaysia, Canada, Australia and others - there are always huge queues in their stores, in which restrictions are even introduced - no more than one "Japanese cotton" per visitor.

Sets in boxes

Japanese firms produce a variety of different sets, designed mainly for the entertainment of children. They invite the child to make Japanese sweets himself. The kit includes powders and molds in which children will have to prepare food according to the picture on the box. For example, animal-shaped marmalade, ice cream, sushi, gummies and more.

You can buy big boxes of Japanese sweets. These sets include all kinds of candies, chocolate sticks, rice cakes, gummies, chocolates and even comic book stickers and instant noodles. Also among the sweets can be KitKat - in Japan, this waffle chocolate is produced with very unexpected flavors - green tea, wasabi (Japanese mustard), corn, rum + raisins and others. The contents of the "boxes" may be specified immediately, or may be packed randomly by the supplier.