Momiji manjū is a type of
wagashi
is traditional Japanese confectionery, typically made using plant-based ingredients and with an emphasis on seasonality. ''Wagashi'' generally makes use of cooking methods that pre-date Western influence in Japan. It is often served with green ...
that is baked. The confection is a buckwheat and rice cake shaped like a
Japanese maple leaf, and is a local specialty on the island of
Itsukushima
is an island in the western part of the Inland Sea of Japan, located in the northwest of Hiroshima Bay. It is popularly known as , which in Japanese means "Shrine Island". The island is one of Hayashi Gahō's Three Views of Japan specifie ...
(Miyajima) in
Hiroshima
is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 1,199,391. The gross domestic product (GDP) in Greater Hiroshima, Hiroshima Urban Employment Area, was US$61.3 billion as of 2010. Kazumi Matsui has b ...
.
It is typically filled with
red bean paste
Red bean paste () or red bean jam, also called adzuki bean paste or ''anko'' (a Japanese word), is a paste made of red beans (also called "adzuki beans"), used in East Asian cuisine. The paste is prepared by boiling the beans, then mashing or ...
.
Overview
Momiji manjū is a local specialty and souvenir in Itsukushima, one of
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
's
three scenic views. Today, Momiji manjū is known not only for Miyajima's souvenirs but also
Hiroshima Prefecture’s
miyagegashi nationwide.
Momiji manjū was invented by a
wagashi
is traditional Japanese confectionery, typically made using plant-based ingredients and with an emphasis on seasonality. ''Wagashi'' generally makes use of cooking methods that pre-date Western influence in Japan. It is often served with green ...
craftsman in the late
Meiji period
The was an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868, to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonizatio ...
.
See also
*
List of Japanese desserts and sweets
The Japanese had been making desserts for centuries before sugar was widely available in Japan. Many desserts commonly available in Japan can be traced back hundreds of years. In Japanese cuisine, traditional Confectionery, sweets are known as , ...
*
Miyagegashi
*
Meibutsu
is a Japanese language, Japanese term most often applied to regional specialties (also known as ).
can also be applied to specialized areas of interest, such as , where it refers to famous tea utensils, or Japanese swords, where it refers to sp ...
*
Tokusanhin
is a Japanese term for specialty food products associated with particular Japanese regions.''Japan's Socio-Economic Evolution: Continuity and Change'' (Japan Library, 1996), eds. Sarah Metzger-Court & Werner Pascha, p. 157. ''Tokusanhin'' are oft ...
References
{{reflist
Japanese desserts and sweets
Itsukushima