Japanese Food Tips

Manju is a very popular steamed traditional Japanese bun filled with anko (sweetened red bean paste). Because it is so sweet, it is often eaten with some drink, such as matcha or sencha (Japanese green teas). The most typical manju bun color is white, and the anko inside is fine or coarse, and the confection is about the size of a palm. It is said that the prototype of manju was introduced from China in the 13th or 14th century, and nowadays, the three main types are joyo manju, inaka manju, and saka manju. Joyo is a white bun made by adding rice flour and sugar to grated yamaimo (Japanese yam), and adding fine anko inside the bun. Joyo has a double-meaning because it is another word for yamaimo and it also means lord or high-ranking people who were the only ones who could eat manju in the past. Manju using coarse anko is called inaka manju, which means countryside manju. It is also called fubuki (blizzard) manju because the appearance of the coarse anko on the surface of the white bun looks like snow on a rock surface. Saka manju (saka means sake) is made by kneading sake yeast into the bun ingredients. The combination of the sake tasting bun and anko is very delicious. If you are interested in these manju, you can buy them at wagashi (Japanese sweets) specialty stores.