【Japanese people teach】How to eat Japanese sweets “Yokan”.

Yokan that tastes very sweet and elegant.
It is one of the washoku sweets that Japan is proud of.
As a Japanese, I will teach you the deliciousness of yokan.
Do you know what yokan is made of?
I will teach you how to eat yokan deliciously.
I will also teach you how to make yokan.
Introducing various yokan that can be eaten in Japan.
Introducing places where you can easily buy yokan.
There are many pictures of yokan.
It’s fun just looking at the pictures.

yokan
Yokan with chestnuts
Yokan that imitates a piano
Yokan that imitates a piano
3 types of yokan
3 types of yokan

How to make yokan

Red beans
Red beans

Yokan is made by adding sugar and agar to strained sweet red beans, boiling it, cooling it, and hardening it.
strained sweet red beans is made by boiling red beans and adding sugar to make them smooth.
strained sweet red beans is often used in Washoku sweets.
Agar is made from the seaweed Gelidiaceae.
Agar has the property of hardening when it is heated and then cooled.

History of yokan

Yokan and Matcha

Yokan is said to have been introduced from China to Japan 700 years ago.
At that time, unlike the current yokan, it was made using red beans, wheat flour, and kudzu powder.
It is said that 200 years ago, yokan made from agar and red bean paste was born like the current yokan.

How to eat yokan

Yokan

About 60% of yokan is made of sugar.
It is recommended to eat yokan little by little.
When you eat yokan, you may be accompanied by a small toothpick.
Cut the yokan into bite pieces with this toothpick.
I stab the cut yokan with a toothpick and eat it.
If you don’t have a toothpick, you can eat it with a spoon.
Youkan is sticky so I don’t eat it by hand.
Yokan goes very well with Japanese tea.
Let’s enjoy yokan and Japanese tea together.

Types of yokan

Kneaded yokan

Kneaded yokan

Kneaded yokan is the most popular yokan in Japan.
Kneaded yokan has a wide variety of flavors such as brown sugar, matcha, honey, and dried fruits.
My recommendation is matcha flavor.
You can feel the bitterness of matcha.
The balance between the sweetness of yokan and the bitterness of matcha is good.
Kneaded yokan has excellent storage stability.
You can eat deliciously for about half a year to a year after you buy it.

Mizuyokan

Mizuyokan

Mizuyokan has a soft feel by reducing the amount of agar to increase the water content.
Mizuyokan is characterized by a lighter sweetness than kneaded yokan.
The period during which you can eat Mizuyokan deliciously is not long.
You can eat deliciously for a few days after you buy it.

Imo Yokan

Imo Yokan

Imo Yokan is made from sweet potatoes, sugar and salt.
Peel the sweet potatoes and steam the sweet potatoes.
Add sugar and salt to the steamed sweet potatoes and mix.
Put the well-mixed dough in a mold and let it cool.
When the dough has cooled, cut the dough and it’s done.
The texture of Imo Yokan is smooth.
You can enjoy the deliciousness of sweet potatoes.

Chestnut yokan

Chestnut yokan

Chestnut yokan contains chestnuts boiled sweetly with sugar.
The hardness of chestnut yokan varies depending on the store where it was made.
The period during which you can eat deliciously varies depending on the store you made.
You can enjoy the soft texture and flavor of chestnuts.

A place where you can buy yokan

Japanese sweets specialty store

Japanese sweets specialty store Yokan
Japanese sweets specialty store Yokan

Youkan can be bought at Japanese sweets specialty stores.
The size of yokan varies.
Youkan, a Japanese sweets specialty store, starts at around 200 yen.
Although the number is small, there are also Japanese sweets specialty stores where you can eat yokan in the store.
Mizuyokan is sold at Japanese sweets specialty stores.
There are many types of yokan, such as yokan wrapped in vinyl and yokan in cans.

convenience store

Convenience store yokan
Convenience store yokan

You can also buy yokan at convenience stores in Japan.
One person’s worth of yokan is on sale.
The price is around 100 yen.
There are few types of yokan you can buy, but you can buy yokan 24 hours a day.

The charm of yokan

Yokan and Japanese tea
Yokan and Japanese tea

Yokan is also used in Japanese tea ceremony.
You will be amazed at the elegant sweetness of yokan.
It will last for a long time, so it is perfect as a souvenir.
Yokan is a traditional washoku with a long history.
Please try the Japanese sweets, yokan.
Thank you for reading to the end.
I hope this article has helped you.
Please read other articles if you like.