Manjū

Japanese confection

is a traditional Japanese confection. Of the many varieties of manjū, most have an outside made from flour, rice powder, kudzu, and buckwheat, and a filling of anko (red bean paste), usually made from boiled adzuki beans and sugar. Manjū is sometimes made with other fillings such as chestnut jam. In Hawaii, one can find Okinawan manjū that are made with a filling of purple sweet potato, butter, milk, sugar, and salt, but the most common filling is bean paste, of which the several varieties include koshian, tsubuan, and tsubushian.

Manju is a traditional Japanese flour based pastry (instead of rice based like mochi). During the Kamakura period (1185 1333), Japanese Buddhist monks who studied in the Song Dynasty brought the culture of the tea ceremony to Japan, and the custom of eating confections with tea began in Japan. The monks also introduced dim sum; 点心; tenshin, a light meal, and the history book :ja:庭訓往来; 庭訓往来 mentions 饂飩; udon, 饅頭; manjū, and 羊羹; yōkan as 点心; tenshin. However, the manjū and yōkan brought to Japan by the monks were not sweets as we know them today, but were prepared in a completely different way.

Of the myriad varieties of manjū, some more common than others. Matcha (green tea) manjū is one of the most common. In this case, the outside of the manjū has a green tea flavor and is colored green. Mizu (water) manjū is traditionally eaten in the summertime and contains a flavored bean filling. The exterior of the mizu manjū is made with kuzu starch, which gives the dough a translucent, jelly like appearance. Also, manjū can have different flavored fillings, such as orange flavored cream. As is the case with many Japanese foods, in some parts of Japan, one can find manjū unique to that region, such as the maple leaf shaped momiji manjū in Hiroshima and Miyajima. The regional variety of the Saitama prefecture is called Jumangoku manjū.