Sweets
Oni Manju
Oni manju — a steamed dumpling studded with cubed sweet potato
Cubed sweet potato is folded into a batter of flour and sugar, then steamed. Said to have spread as a stand-in staple for rice during wartime and postwar food shortages, its name is said to come from the potato cubes' resemblance to an ogre's horns.
- Origin: Aichi Nagoya
- About 270 km west of Tokyo
What it's made of
Oni manju is a steamed cake made by folding diced sweet potato into a batter of flour and sugar. It is said to have spread as a substitute for rice during the food shortages of the war and postwar years, made from sweet potato and flour, which were relatively easy to obtain. The name, meaning 'demon bun,' is said to come from the knobby corners of the diced potato, said to resemble a demon's horns.
How it's made
Sweet potato is cut into 1-centimeter cubes and folded into a batter of flour and sugar, then steamed. Using the potato with its skin on is said to keep its red color vivid and add the texture of the skin. It can be eaten warm or cold, and a brief reheat in the microwave under plastic wrap is said to bring back its fresh-steamed texture. The dish reportedly goes by other names too, such as 'imo uiro,' depending on the area.
Why it took this shape
During the war, potato varieties were chosen for yield over flavor, and are said to have been watery and lacking in richness, and the dish is thought to have arisen from efforts to make the most of that potato. During the postwar economic boom, it is said to have become a cheap, filling snack valued by farming households, and its dense, satisfying texture is said to be what made it stick around.
Before you go
- How to shop in a depachika (department store food hall)A guide to browsing prepared foods and bento, choosing wagashi as a gift with a good shelf life, sampling etiquette, end-of-day discounts, asking for cold packs and wrapping, and finding your way around a depachika floor.
- At kissaten, cafes, and kanmi-dokoroThe difference between jun-kissa and chain cafes, the morning-set custom, and kanmi-dokoro staples like anmitsu and zenzai.
Dishes in the same style
- Abekawa MochiFresh-pounded rice cake is dusted in soybean flour mixed with sugar. Named for the Abe River, it's said to have been famous among Tokaido travelers as a teahouse specialty and to appear in the travel novel Tokaidochu Hizakurige.
- Iga ManjuSweet bean paste is wrapped in rice flour dough, then coated with dyed sticky rice grains. One account ties the name to the grains' resemblance to a chestnut's spiny husk, and in the western Mikawa region it's said to be offered to Hina dolls at the Doll Festival.
Ingredients and dishes from this land
Also from Aichi
- Funa MisoCrucian carp is simmered slowly with soybeans for around five hours, then finished in a sauce of red miso and coarse sugar. A freshwater fish dish of the Kiso rivers' lower basin, made with fatty winter carp simmered until the bones soften through.
- Gohei MochiFreshly cooked non-glutinous rice is pounded, pressed flat on a skewer, and grilled with a miso glaze. Said to have originated in the mountainous Chubu region, it's traditionally made the night before a festival praying for safety in mountain work.
- Aichi HakozushiVinegared rice is packed into a wooden frame, topped with shrimp, eel, shiitake, and egg arranged diagonally, and pressed. Placing toppings on the diagonal so everyone gets a fair share of each is said to be a feature of the Owari and western Mikawa style, made for celebrations.
- Hebo MeshiAdult and larval giant hornets are simmered sweet and savory, then folded into freshly cooked rice. Said to have served as a prized protein source across the mountains from Shinshu to Okumikawa, it's now more often served as a treat for guests.
- Iga ManjuSweet bean paste is wrapped in rice flour dough, then coated with dyed sticky rice grains. One account ties the name to the grains' resemblance to a chestnut's spiny husk, and in the western Mikawa region it's said to be offered to Hina dolls at the Doll Festival.
- Aichi Miso OdenA pot of sweet red miso sits in the center of the simmering pot, and daikon, tofu, and other ingredients simmered in dashi are dipped into it before eating. While soy-based Kanto-style oden spread in Edo, Aichi is said to have settled on dipping in soybean miso instead.