Karukan
Karukan is a special Japanese-style confection of Kyushu including Kagoshima Prefecture.
The origin of the name is “light(軽) confection like rice cake(羹). Originally, karukan was “saomono gashi” which is traditional confection in the form of long block but “karukan manjū” which is filled with red bean paste has become the norm in recent years.
How to make
Karukan is made from karukan powder, sugar and (Japanese) yam. Karukan powder is rice flour and some mills mainly in Kagoshima Prefecture make it. Karukan is made by adding water to these materials and steaming. It is like an elastic white sponge.
History
It is said that karukan appeared in during the rule of the Satsuma Clan from 1686-1715. The factor in the birth of karukan in Satsuma Clan is that yams which are the main ingredient of karukan grow wild and it is easy to get sugar which is made in Ryukyu and the Amami Islands. Sugar was high-quality product and a box of karukan was as expensive as 18l of sake at one point. Another theory says that karukan was invented in 1854 by the confectioner who was invited by Shimazu Nariakira, the leader of Satsuma clan. And fukuregashi, a kind of steamed cake with brown sugar, flour and baking soda, has also been produced in the area for a time. It is said that karukan was based on fukuregashi.
Karukan is made at many confectioneries in Kagoshima. It is sold widely in Miyazaki Prefecture and it is also made there. Moreover, confectioneries in Beppu city, Oita Prefecture, have been producing and selling karukan since 1952. It is a famous souvenir in Beppu. Also, there are some factories which produce and sell karukan in Fukuoka Prefecture and so on. Recently, karukan has come to treat as a kind of fresh sweets in the middle of mainland.
References
- 大山重信ほか「かるかんの物性について」『鹿児島県立短期大学紀要 自然科学篇』、39巻、P.27-36、1988年(Japanese)
- 大山重信ほか「かるかんの起源について」『鹿児島県立短期大学紀要 自然科学篇』、38巻、P.5-14、1987年(Japanese)
Links
- 軽羹百話-御菓子司 明石屋(Japanese)