About
唐土庵のこと
What is
Morokoshi?
「もろこし」とは
Local specialty confectioneries inspired by Chinese recipes
Morokoshi is a traditional molded cake made from adzuki bean flour.The recipes of traditional Japanese molded sweets are said to have been brought from China.
The origin of the word "Morokoshi" is found in the Nihon Shoki (The
Chronicles of Japan), which was completed in the Nara Period. Morokoshi means "China" in the Nihon Shoki. The Chinese monk, Jianzhen brought sugar to Japan during this period. Japanese people created molded confectioneries with local
farm products using Chinese recipes, and have made these confectioneries their unique local specialties.
In Akita, as molded confectioneries made with local adzuki bean flour became popular, it is thought that people started calling
these confectioneries "sweets from China, Morokoshi". Eboshioya, a textbook used by the Terakoya school during the Tenpo Era of the Edo Period, introduced Morokoshi as a local product of Kakunodate.
Cooking adzuki beans,
which bring good luck,
by a method unique to Akita
The main ingredient of Morokoshi is adzuki beans.
Long time ago, adzuki beans were grown in the Dewa Province (includes present-day Akita Prefecture). As the tradition of cooking red rice (adzuki beans in rice) to celebrate
special occasions still continues, it is considered that adzuki beans were widely used in people's everyday life in the past.
In most recipes of Japanese traditional sweets, adzuki beans are simmered with sugar to make adzuki
bean paste. However, in the recipe of Morokoshi, adzuki beans are roasted.The aroma of roasted adzuki beans spreads in the mouth with every bite.
