is a Japanese confection from

Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surround ...

. The origin of the name is "light" (軽) yokan (羹). Originally, ''karukan'' was “saomono gashi” which is a traditional confection in the form of a long block; but “karukan

manjū is a traditional Japanese confection. Of the many varieties of manjū, most have an outside made from flour, rice powder, kudzu, and buckwheat, and a filling of ''anko'' (red bean paste), usually made from boiled adzuki beans and sugar. ''Man ...

”, which is 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 ...

, has become the norm in recent years.

Preparation

''Karukan'' is made from ''karukan'' rice flour powder, sugar, and grated Japanese yam. Water is added to the blended ingredients and the mixture is then kneaded and

steamed Steaming is a method of cooking using steam. This is often done with a food steamer, a kitchen appliance made specifically to cook food with steam, but food can also be steamed in a wok. In the American southwest, steam pits used for cooking hav ...

. It is like an elastic white sponge.

History

''Karukan'' appeared during the rule of the

Satsuma Domain The , briefly known as the , was a domain (''han'') of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan during the Edo period from 1602 to 1871. The Satsuma Domain was based at Kagoshima Castle in Satsuma Province, the core of the modern city of Kagoshima, l ...

from 1686 to 1715. The factor in the birth of ''karukan'' in Satsuma Domain is that yams, which are the main ingredient of ''karukan'', grow wild and it is easy to get sugar which is made in

Ryukyu The , also known as the or the , are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Taiwan: the Ōsumi, Tokara, Amami, Okinawa, and Sakishima Islands (further divided into the Miyako and Yaeyama Islands), with Yonagu ...

and the Amami Islands. Another theory says that ''karukan'' was invented in 1854 by a confectioner who was invited by

Shimazu Nariakira was a Japanese feudal lord (''daimyō'') of the Edo period, the 28th in the line of Shimazu clan lords of Satsuma Domain. He was renowned as an intelligent and wise lord, and was greatly interested in Western learning and technology. He was e ...

, the leader of Satsuma Domain. And ''fukuregashi'', a kind of steamed cake with brown sugar, flour and baking soda, has also been produced in the area for a time. It is said that ''karukan'' was based on ''fukuregashi''. ''Karukan'' is made at many confectioneries in Kagoshima. It is sold widely in

Miyazaki Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Miyazaki Prefecture has a population of 1,073,054 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 7,735 km2 (2,986 sq mi). Miyazaki Prefecture borders Ōita Prefecture to the north, Ku ...

and it is also made there. Confectioneries in

Beppu, Oita is a city in Ōita Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. As of March 31, 2017, the city had a population of 122,643

, have been producing and selling ''karukan'' since 1952. It is a famous souvenir in Beppu. Also, there are some factories which produce and sell ''karukan'' in

Fukuoka Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Fukuoka Prefecture has a population of 5,109,323 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,986 km2 (1,925 sq mi). Fukuoka Prefecture borders Saga Prefecture to the southwest, K ...

References

External links

鹿児島食探訪
Japanese)

(English) {{Japanese food and drink Wagashi Steamed foods

Preparation

History

See also

References

External links