Aji no Meisaku: 5 Popular Flavors of Manju Cake

When it comes to traditional Japanese sweets or Wagashi, “Manju (まんじゅう)” is one of the most consumed confections in Japan, which we often enjoy as an afternoon snack with green tea.

For the unfamiliar, Manju is a traditional Japanese steamed cake (bun) typically filled with sweet Azuki red bean paste called “Anko (餡子)“.

Other than the regular variety with red bean Anko filling, today Manju is available in many variations like this.

The cake comes in various fillings, such as matcha green tea flavored Anko, and can also be made by baking instead of steaming. 

If you are a Manju beginner, there is a recommended item for you with 5 popular flavors of Anko paste, which I bought this time for this blog article.

Marukyo Aji no Meisaku (丸京 味の銘作)

What I introduce here is the 5 flavor assortment of Manju cakes called “Aji no Meisaku (味の銘作)” from the Japanese confectionery company “Marukyo (丸京)” shown in the photo above.

The package contains 18 pieces of individually wrapped Manju cake. Specifically,

• Momoyama (桃山) ×2
• Kuriman (栗まん) ×2
• Nyuka (乳菓) ×4
• Soba Manju (そばまんじゅう) ×5
• Matcha Manju (抹茶まんじゅう) ×5

Now, let’s see each of these 5 varieties of Manju.

Momoyama (桃山)

Momoyama is a steamed Manju cake filled with a mix of red and white Anko pastes featuring its refined sweetness.

Kuriman (栗まん)

Kuriman is a baked Manju cake with a chestnut-flavored, chestnut-bits-embedded sweet bean paste inside. 

Nyuka (乳菓)

Nyuka is a baked Manju cake with a milk-flavored sweet bean paste filling featuring moderate, delicate sweetness.

Soba Manju (そばまんじゅう)

Soba Manju is a steamed Manju cake filled with a sweet bean paste containing buckwheat flour featuring its faint aroma.

Matcha Manju (抹茶まんじゅう)

Matcha Manju is a steamed Manju cake with a Matcha green tea flavored sweet bean paste inside featuring its pleasant fragrance.

Ingredients 

According to the label, ingredients in these Manju cakes include sweet bean paste, sugar, wheat flour, starch syrup, hen’s egg, dextrose, vegetable oil, buckwheat flour, condensed milk, chestnut, reduced sugar syrup, starch, glutinous rice flour, fermented milk, cinnamon bark powder, Matcha green tea powder, mirin, salt, and whole milk powder.

Conclusion

Manju is one of the most loved Wagashi sweets in Japan, and just with this product, Marukyo Aji no Meisaku, you can enjoy various kinds of authentic Manju cakes at a time.