Sweets ── Wagashi (Japanese sweets)
Rakugan
Rakugan — a dry, pressed sweet of sugar and grain flour, molded into shape
A dry, pressed sweet of grain flour and sugar bound with a touch of water, packed into a wooden mold and dried. One account traces the name to a Chinese confection called "nanraku-kan"; the draw is a texture that crumbles softly in the mouth and the beauty of the mold's carved design.
- Dry confections
Lineage
What it's made of
A nearly dry, crumbly dough of grain flour bound with just sugar and a touch of water. It is pressed firmly into a wooden mold to take its shape, then turned out and left to dry. Even a slight difference in how firmly the dough is pressed into the mold changes how it crumbles in the mouth, said to be a skill that takes practice to master. Applying too much force the moment it's turned out of the mold causes it to crumble, said to demand a delicate touch.
How it's made
Grain flour and sugar are quickly mixed into a fine, crumbly texture, packed tightly into a wooden mold, and shaped. Once turned out, it is left to air-dry naturally over several days. The molds are often carved with seasonal flowers or auspicious motifs. It is often used as an offering to deities and ancestors, said to be part of why mold designs favor auspicious motifs like cranes, turtles, or pine and bamboo.
Why it took this shape
One account traces the name to a Chinese confection called "nanraku-kan"; another holds the name came from a title bestowed at an imperial offering. Accounts differ on which is correct. Drying it nearly free of moisture is said to be tied to its role as a long-keeping dry sweet, suited to gifts and to the sweet trays used at tea gatherings. Confectioners in each town competing over seasonal designs is said to be part of why mold designs vary so richly by region.
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.
- Enjoying a bussanten (regional products fair)A guide to what's sold at a bussanten (regional products fair), how to find one, when it gets crowded, shelf life and taking food home, and how to fit one around a trip.
- Osechi and zoni for the New YearA guide to the meaning behind osechi's tiered boxes, the regional differences in zoni (square vs. round mochi, clear vs. miso broth), and the nanakusa-gayu custom.
Dishes in the same style
- ArareTiny, bite-sized pieces of glutinous rice cracker, baked or fried. The name is said to come from the sound and motion of the pieces popping in the pan, resembling hail falling from the sky, and one account ties it to a court tooth-hardening ritual.
- Iwa OkoshiPuffed rice bound with brown sugar into a hard, rock-like bar. Said to have begun as an improvement on Dotonbori's awa okoshi (made from millet), using rice and brown sugar for a much harder bite that drew attention for its firmness.
Ingredients and dishes from this land
Related lineage
- SuhamaA dry sweet of soybean flour worked with starch syrup into a dense, kneaded block. Said to be named for its cut cross-section resembling the "suhama" sandbar crest motif, one account traces its invention to Kyoto in the Kamakura period.
- KonpeitoTiny, spiky candy balls grown by repeatedly coating a seed core in sugar syrup. One of the nanban confections said to have arrived from Portugal in the 16th century, its name is said to derive from the Portuguese word for candy, "confeito."