Japanese Sweets in May No. 2 - Sweetfish-Shaped Mochi Sweet 求肥入り鮎スイーツ

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Summer sweetfish (natsu ayu)

Sweetfish is an early summer Kyoto delicacy, but this sweetfish-shaped mochi (a rice cake made from rice powder) sweet I bought at a convenient store last week is yummy, too! It's called by several names, e.g., natsu ayu (summer sweetfish) or chofu ayu (crepe sweetfish), but they are the same: Mochi and/or red bean paste wrapped in a thin pancake (castella cake).

Regionally, there is a slight difference, though. Ones sold in the western Japan, such as Kyoto, usually contain only mochi, while ones sold in Tokyo often contain mochi and red bean paste. So, if you are considering staying in both Tokyo and Kyoto in May or June, don't miss the opportunity to compare this subtle taste and texture difference. If you had to choose one, I would recommend the Tokyo one. You can enjoy the taste of traditional Japanese anko (i.e., red bean paste) and the unique texture of mochi at the same time!

去年も買いました。そして今年も買いました。しかも今年はコンビニで！夏鮎、若鮎、調布鮎｡｡｡ 名前は違えどカステラ生地に包まれた求肥と餡、そして可愛い見た目。

関西だと求肥だけ、東京だと求肥と餡子の両方が入っていることが多いとのこと。初夏到来です！