Hida Genkotsu Ame: Traditional Kinako Dagashi Candy
For its old, historical town streets, “Hida-Takayama (飛騨高山)” is a popular tourist destination in Japan.
The region comprises “Hida (飛騨)” and “Takayama (高山)”, which are names of cities in Gifu Prefecture.
By the way, the 2016 big hit Japanese anime movie “Kimi No Na Wa (君の名は: Your Name)” has a scene modeled after the city of Hida.
Speaking of Hida, the city has several specialties, and in terms of food, the wagyu brand “Hida-Gyu (飛騨牛)” is especially famous.
Genkotsu Ame (げんこつ飴)
And what I introduce here “Genkotsu Ame (げんこつ飴: Fist Candy)” is a traditional kinako Dagashi treat favored by tourists as a souvenir.
It is a simple candy made by kneading a mixture of starch syrup and sugar, coated with Kinako roasted soybean flour.
It is sometimes flavored with ingredients, such as matcha green tea powder, sesame, or Yomogi mugwort.
If you go on a trip to Hida and stop by a convenience store, you may find packages of Genkotsu Ame, for the candy is not just popular among tourists but a long-time favorite of the locals.
Recipe
The local kinako candy Genkotsu Ame is relatively easy to make, as seen in this recipe from cookpad.com.
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Kinako flour | 5 parts |
| Starch syrup | 6 parts |
| Sugar | 2 parts |
- Heat the starch syrup in a pot over low heat and melt it so as not to scorch it.
- Add the sugar and give it all a good stir until the mixture becomes foamy. Then add a tablespoon of water and continue stirring.
- Add the kinako flour and remove the pot from the heat.
- Make 1 cm sticks from the paste on a board thinly covered with Kinako flour.
- Let the sticks cool down.
- Before becoming hard, cut them into bite-size pieces with scissors.
- Leave the pieces for a while to completely cool.
- Now it’s ready to eat. Enjoy the kinako candy!
