This is a strawberry daifuku. It's a very simple Japanese sweet, consisting of a strawberry wrapped in mochi. Mochi is pounded rice, and it can be very chewy. It pairs well with a solid, sweet strawberry. Many daifuku even have red bean paste over the strawberry to add another layer of texture. Even thought it has minimal ingredients, it's still a really nice treat to have especially for those who just want a small snack.
Soft Cream
Yes, ice cream is referred to as soft cream in Japan. Japan has all sorts of ice cream but soft cream will be the ice cream you hear about and see more often. Some of you may already know about Japan's obsession with flavors such as their numerous amounts of Kit-Kat flavors. They have the same obsession with their soft cream. The more you travel throughout Japan, you will be able to find many different flavors of soft cream. They have your typical flavors, but then they have uncommon flavors such as lavender, black sesame, miso, olive and kinako (powdered soybean). Foreigners may not be used to these flavors but it can be very interesting to try. The only abnormal soft cream I've tried so far is apple and cream in Nagano. It was very delicious! I look forward to trying more.
Anmitsu
While I'm talking about ice cream, let's talk about the Japanese twist to an ice cream sundae called anmitsu. It's a really common Japanese dessert served in a bowl filled with many ingredient. Some of the most common ingredients that can be found in anmitsu is matcha ice cream, anko (red bean paste), agar jelly cubes, various fruits and mochi. It's a very refreshing dessert. Other items that can be found in this dessert bowl are coffee jelly and sugar syrups. It's a perfect dessert when you want to try many different traditional Japanese flavors.
Kakigori
Who knew ice could be so delicious? A popular summer treat in Japan is kakigori, or shaved ice. The quality of ice and syrup may vary depending on where you go, but when you get a good one it's so delicious. The shaved ice is soft and the syrup is fresh. Some places even dress the kakigori up with toppings of fruit and whipped cream. If you're ever looking to try kakigori just look for a sign/banner outside the shop with the kanji for ice on it, like this 氷.
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| Melon kakigori with almonds. |
Crepes
Now, this is a small dessert that is originally from France (people seem to always make sure I know this fact). I've never been to France, but a Japanese crepe is amazing! We even have crepes here in America like at IHOP but they're nothing compared to Japanese crepes. All the ingredients are fresh which you can see for yourself because you can watch them make it at crepe stands. It's a nice small, sweet snack of a think pancake batter when you're on the go. You honestly just have to try it for yourself one day if you haven't already. And if you have tried a Japanese crepe, then you know what I'm talking about. Some of you may not understand when I say I genuinely get excited when I see a crepe stand in Japan. Every time I'm in Japan I always have to get a crepe.
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| The making of my caramel banana cheesecake crepe in Osaka. |
Parfaits
Another French dessert that Japan perfected (sorry, but not sorry). Once again, we have parfaits in America and I'm still sadly disappointed by them. For those of you who may not know, a parfait is a layered dessert of fruits, ice cream and other ingredients typically served in a tall glass. Japan not only makes their parfaits with fresh ingredients but the presentation is unbelievable! You can tell a parfait from Japan versus another country. This is another dessert that I always have to get when I go to Japan. My favorite parfait shop is in Kyoto called Karafuneya Coffee. They do all sorts of desserts, even savory dessert parfaits.
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| Strawberry cheesecake parfait. |
I definitely left out a ton of desserts you can find in Japan, such as strawberry shortcake and wagashi (traditional Japanese sweets). It's because I either talked about them in another blog post of mine or I plan to do a separate post in the future (like that wagashi). I hope you got to see some interesting desserts that Japan has to offer. A lot of people imagine Japan as a very different country from their own, and that's true but they also take food we're familiar with and try their best to make it special.
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See you in the next blog!!