, is a type of containing very little moisture, and thus keeps relatively longer than other kinds of .
Overview
, in contrast to , are a category of with any type of dry consistency. This can include , (a type of hard candy), (a type of rice cracker), (another type of rice cracker), and so on, though rice crackers are typically savoury, and thus not considered . Sweet are roughly equivalent to Western
cookies or
biscuits.
A narrower definition of may confine the recipe to one or more kinds of
sugar, with a particular sort of
flour, and some other additives, while there are some made solely of sugar, with no flour content.
The flour used in is usually made of
rice
Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and '' Porteresia'', both wild and domesticat ...
, which has many different varieties of its own. Flours made of other ingredients, like
azuki
''Vigna angularis'', also known as the adzuki bean , azuki bean, aduki bean, red bean, or red mung bean, is an annual vine widely cultivated throughout East Asia for its small (approximately long) bean. The cultivars most familiar in East As ...
,
soybean
The soybean, soy bean, or soya bean (''Glycine max'') is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean, which has numerous uses.
Traditional unfermented food uses of soybeans include soy milk, from which tofu a ...
or green
pea and
starches are often used too.
made with , Japanese premium traditionally-made fine-grained sugar, are commonly regarded as the finest . The most common and well-known is , but the definition of the word is somewhat vague and sometimes not suitable for a certain type of , so the word would be better in some cases.
are often served at
Japanese tea ceremonies.
List of
* – Five flavors: (pickled plum), (Japanese mint), (cinnamon), (ginger), and (citron), each with distinct shapes.
*
*
*
*
*
*
* – (pinkish red) and (white) are available.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Higashi (Food)
Wagashi