Carpe Diem in Japan: The Tale of a Kyoto Sweet

When travelling in Kyoto, it does not take long for the visitor to notice those small triangles pastries in nearly every shop you walk next to. Those little colourful triangulars are called Yatsuhashi and are one of the most well-known specialities of Kyoto. I had bought and tasted many different flavours since I arriving in Japan but only until a few days ago, was I actually able to make some myself.

Yatsuhashi come in two forms. One is baked and the other is not. The baked version has the shape of a half-cylinder and a consistency similar to the one of a cracker. It often has the taste of cinnamon. It is believed baked Yatsuhashi have been made since 1689.

Baked Yatsuhashi

As for the unbaked Yatsuhashi, there are many flavours and new ones are coming out every year. I had the occasion to make my own unbaked Yatsuhashi when I was invited by some students studying French at Kansai Gaidai to a place where they could teach us how to make Yatsuhashi in Kyoto.

How to Make Yatsuhashi

To my surprise the recipe is quite simple. First we had to mix the rice flour with water and make the mix bake with steam. When it had become hard, we add some liquid flavour to this paste and knead it until the entire paste gets coloured evenly. Next we shape it like a square and putted some bean paste in the middle. Then we only add to fold it to make a triangle and we were done. I could also try to make Matcha tea myself to drink with the Yatsuhashi I had made.

Local specialities are well-known in Japan. Each region has its own delicacy and Japanese and tourists can enjoy them only by visiting the place where they are made. I was very happy to learn how to make Yatsuhashi by myself. Although almost all of the Yatsuhashi we buy today are machine-made in industrial quantities, I could appreciate the time and effort it requires to make only one. I was also happy to see many Japaneses from all ages sitting in the same room enjoying this experience as well.

So next time you go to Kyoto, please take the time to enjoy some Yatsuhashi!