Post · bonfire.cafe

@camelliakyoto@mastodon.social · last month

bush clover, bellflowers
and also pinks
have sprouted
萩桔梗撫子なんど萌えにけり
-Masaoka Shiki (正岡子規 1867-1902)

There are around 300 varieties of dianthus, including the popular 'sekichiku' (石竹 'China pink'). In Japan the flower is known as 'stone bamboo' thanks to the shape of its leaves.

Look closely and you can see clusters of nadeshiko on the kimono.

'Sekichiku' (石竹 'China pink') from 'Ryoku-an' (緑菴).

Camellia Tea Ceremony

@camelliakyoto@mastodon.social replied · last month

3) KUZU

Kudzu (葛) is a type of vine that has been used for centuries in arrowroot cake, gruel, and to make noodles. Believed to aid with stomach problems, the dried stems are also used to make fabric and baskets.
It symbolises strength of spirit, healing, vitality, and patience.

Kuzuyaki branded with the crests of the Gion Matsuri (festival).

Halloween themed sweet potato flavoured kuzuyaki.

Kuzuyaki - Sugar, kuzu powder and bean paste are kneaded into a dough, cut into squares, and steamed. The sweets are finished by grilling each side and sprinkling with flour.

Camellia Tea Ceremony

@camelliakyoto@mastodon.social replied · last month

Like bracken starch, kuzu was first farmed in what is now Nara prefecture (it takes its name from a county called 'Kuzu' 国栖).

In the Momoyama period kuzu became a popular ingredient in the foods and sweets prepared for tea ceremony, and as a result its popularity spread.
#葛 #kuzu

A twist on the typical minatsuki sweet. Kuzu jelly is cut into a triangular shape to mimic ice...floating in the jelly are red beans.

A layer of kuzu jelly wrapped about a bean paste interior. This sweet was inspired by Monet's 'Water Lilies' series.

Camellia Tea Ceremony

@camelliakyoto@mastodon.social replied · last month

Originating in Kyōto, 'kuzukiri' (くずきり) is a dish of noodles made from starch-rich kuzu root. Enjoyed in the hot summer months, kuzukiri is typically served cold with a brown-sugar syrup.
Kuzu has long been considered to have medicinal properties, helping with circulation.

Camellia Tea Ceremony

@camelliakyoto@mastodon.social replied · last month

Kuzu (葛) is a popular ingredient for makers of traditional Japanese sweets, especially in the hotter months.

the arrowroot vine
holds on tight...
a post
葛蔓の手にしてまとふ柱かな
-Kobayashi Issa (小林一茶), 1819.
Trans. David G. Lanoue.

#wagashi #和菓子 #haiku #Japan #葛

Shioyoshiken's (塩芳軒) chrysanthemum inspired 'manjū kiku' (万寿菊).

Kameya Shigehisa's (亀屋重久) 'sawabe-no-hotaru' (沢辺の蛍) uses vivid colours to depict a firefly brilliantly illuminated at dusk.

Kagijin's (かぎ甚) 'sawabe-no-hotaru' (沢辺の蛍) depicts a firefly flitting over a riverbank. The insect is cleverly made up of a single 'daitokuji nattō' (大徳寺納豆)🫘

Kagizen's (鍵善) 'Gion-bayashi' (祇園囃子) is named after the unique music of the Gion Festival. The three colours of bean paste represent the instruments used to play Gion-bayashi: a drum (太鼓), flute (笛) and gong (鉦).

Camellia Tea Ceremony

@camelliakyoto@mastodon.social replied · last month

4) HAGI

Hagi (萩), mentioned numerous times in the Man'yōshū (万葉集), is one of the great symbols of Autumn.
Representing bashfulness, affection and a meditative spirit, the flower lends its name to 'ohagi' (おはぎ), a sweet of red beans served around the Autumn Equinox (お彼岸).

#ohagi #萩 #おはぎ

Ohagi, a sweet typically eaten around the Autumn Equinox. Bean jam covers a ball of sticky rice.

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