yatsuhashi

=__What is it?__=

=
Yatsuhashi is a small delicate sweet that is spiced with sugar and cinnamon. It is made from glutinous rice flour. Yatsuhashi comes in nama (or raw) which are soft and yaki (or hard) which are cookie like.======

Yaki is now made by machine to get that crispy texture, but until 1970 it was handmade. When its made by hand, the dough is thinly rolled out into squares then it is baked in an oven for 15 minutes. Then they turn the heat off and leave the yaki in there for an additional 15 minutes. When the yaki is taken out, they sprinkle them with additional cinnamon or cinnamon sugar while still warm.

Nama began to be sold raw in 1960. To make it, rice flour is kneaded with hot water and steam, then they mix it with sugar, cinnamon, and sometimes poppy seeds. After that it is finely rolled out flat. It is cut into squares and the soybean flour is sprinkled on both of its sides. A red bean jam called Azuki is placed inside and the whole thing is folded into a triangle. New flavors have started to appear recently, like matcha, strawberry, and peach.

=
It is very popular in Kyoto probably because it was named after kengyo yatsuhashi, a well known koto player and composer of koto. In the four years of is death a sweet that was shaped like a koto was created in his honor. it was named after him. it began to be sold at the path of the Shogoin Shrine. then the sweets were renamed Shogoin yatsuhashi. the main shop that sold these sweets at the time was genkaku-dou. around 1905 the sweets became even more popular, now however as souvenirs. vendors would stand outside of kyoto station they would sell them as packages.during world war two====== yatsuhashi became scare due to the lack of rice.