Japanese Food Part 2 - "Wagashi"

[Tomoe]

Perhaps sweets are not really food but I crave for Japanese sweets right now so let me share a little bit of Japan with you tonight with a snapshot of their sweets.

There is a traditional Japanese sweet we call "wagashi" (「和菓子」 in kanji characters which simply translates as "Japanese sweets") as opposed to "yogashi" (｢洋菓子」in kanji characters which means "Western sweets"... pronounced "Yo" like in the restaurant Yo! Sushi with "gashi" at the end).

Wagashi are cute tiny sweets usually made from sugar, rice, flour, and beans. Well, it might not sound that delicious but they are actually quite nice and usually accompany the teas you enjoy at a Japanese tea ceremony. There are 3 different types of wagashi that are served and the type may depend on the strength of the tea that is being served or the season the sweet is served (different types of sweets are served each season). It is a beautiful thing to experience so I do highly recommend you to attend a tea ceremony someday. I also recommend you to visit a fantastic wagashi store in London. You will be delighted to see their display which changes every season. They have really kept the traditional Japanese look so if you'd like to visit Japan without leaving this country, you can do that by going to London to this place. You can visit the store which is called Minamoto Kitchoan. Click here for their website.

I must warn you though. Do not underestimate these cute little tiny things in regards to the price because one small wagashi can cost you 2 pounds (keeping in mind, they are a fraction of calories of normal sweets and cakes in the western world so not only will you minimize your calorie intake you can flatten thy purse). Anyway, I hope you really do take the chance to try one of these wagashi's someday. You will either like it or not like it... perhaps it is like Marmite - you either like it or you don't.

So like I always say, Japan - it's more than sushi!