Yoshiwaradenchu - Traditional Foods in Japan | Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

IbarakiYoshiwaradenchu

Classification (Large)

Others

Classification (Small)

Japanese sweets

Main ingredients used

glutinous rice, soybean flour, sugar, mizuame

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Region of inheritance

Prefecture-wide

Product overview (special characteristics and types)

This sweet is created by mixing roasted grains of glutinous rice with molasses, which is then wrapped in a skin made from soybean flour and molasses and rolled into thin, long shapes. It was born within the Mito clan at the end of the Edo period, and is known for its simple sweetness and soft texture.

History and culture

Tokugawa Nariaki, the ninth lord of the Mito Clan, initiated efforts to reform the clan system and promoted living simply and frugally. He had a lot of respect for the work of farmers and offered a bowl of rice to the bronze statue of a farmer, which he made himself, at each meal. Legend has it that Yoshiwaradenchu originated from a lady-in-waiting named Yoshiwara, who gathered the rice to make this dish. Nariaki was said to have been delighted with this sweet, naming it after the lady-in-waiting and popularizing this sweet as an example of thriftiness.
There is a theory saying the reason there is a sweet having a similar name in the Tohoku region is because Yoshiwaradenchu was passed down when Nariaki’s daughter married into the Nanbu clan. Furthermore, there is a similar sweet in Saitama Prefecture called gokabo, which is said to have originated from Yoshiwaradenchu.

Production method

Glutinous rice is roasted and puffed, then mixed with molasses made from starch syrup and sugar while folding air in. This filling for Yoshiwaradenchu is next wrapped in a skin made of soybean flour with a small amount of molasses added to it. The product is next rolled on a board and swiftly extended into a long, thin shape. Soybean flour is dusted onto it before it is cut and completed. Some shops wrap this sweet in wafer paper so people can fully enjoy the soybean flour.
This sweet is manufactured to create an optimal texture according to the day’s climate. For this reason, most of the manufacturing process is done manually by skilled workers.

Conservation and succession efforts

The sweet is currently only manufactured at companies participating in the Mito Confectionary Industry Cooperative, but some businesses allow visitors to observe some parts of their factories to see how Yoshiwaradenchu is made.
It is also sold at local supermarkets, train stations, and highway service areas as a souvenir.

Main consumption method

This sweet is created from natural ingredients such as glutinous rice, starch syrup, sugar, soybean flour, and water. It is eaten as a sweet for tea or as a snack, and is loved by people of all ages. Yoshiwaradenchu also has a long shelf life, making it immensely popular as a souvenir or present for when visiting others.

At-home recipes：Yoshiwaradenchu parfait

Ingredients

Yoshiwaradenchu

2 pcs.

Vanilla ice cream

200 ml

Dark molasses

As needed

How to make

Cut Yoshiwaradenchu into small pieces.

Put ice cream in a bowl, sprinkle on the Yoshiwaradenchu cut in 1 above, and drizzle dark molasses on top.