For some of you, especially if you're new to the anime community you're probably glaring at this post title thinking "WHAT IN THE WORLD OTAKU-KUN?!" Give me a moment to explain... Konpeito is a candy which primarily consists of sugar, and has a hard texture while looking sort of like colored stars. These sugary delights were introduced to Japan from the Portuguese in the 16th century. During this time sugar was very scarce in Japan, and was well known to be an extremely valuable delicacy (Think of that ice cream with gold flakes that's currently being strewn across the internet). The man whom we have to thank for this delicacy is a Christian missionary named Luis Frois, he gave these to Oda Nobunaga in exchange for the ability to preach the gospel. This candy is no longer so hard to come by. However, it is still considered a delicacy and delight to the Emperors, so much so that if you go to visit them you may be leaving with a beautiful box full of konpeito. (Gosh, I feel like royalty now). Now to dive into the process of making these irresistible treats. All konpeito starts off as a tiny ball of sugar. Each piece then undergoes a process in a "gong-shaped" machine called a "Dora." In this machine, they are rotated and heated, along with having syrup added. This process gives them their bumpy-like texture and the hard-grainy texture. Konpeito can come in various colors and flavors. (If you're visitng Japan, check out the Konpeito Story in Kyoto I've heard that it's worth looking into [They even have a sakura flavor! ]). Surprisingly enough, this process can take from seven to thirteen days. Now for those of you who are kind of confused because you've seen the candy but don't know the word (or the other way around) I'm going to list a few animes which I, or others, have seen them in: Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Kobato, & Bleach. If you're curious about their flavor, they taste very similar to that of "Rock Candy." A treat which I adored growing up. Although, I feel like the Konpeito is significantly softer to that of Rock Candy. However, don't be fooled by my wording of things it is still hard, but it has a consistency similar to that of a sugar cube if it was coated in a bit harder sugar.
Well, I hope this was informative and I hope you're able to find and enjoy some konpeito yourself! :) - Otaku-kun
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorA fancy otaku who is kind of too lazy to legitimately finish this little box about myself. Just click on the "about" page. Archives
January 2017
Categories |