Anko is Japanese sweet jam made from red beans. It is so popular in Japan as cream or chocolate in Western countries. We enjoy it as a basic sweet essense of Japanese cake. I wonder why Anko is not so popular as Sushi, Teppanyaki, and other Japanese foods. As it doesn't contain any fat, it is healthy and tasty. So, I think Anko should be more popular in Canada. This is a picture of Ohagi, a sticky rice ball wrapped with Anko. This combination of Ohagi and green tea is deadly yummy. If you like sweets and are worrying about your health, I recommend you this Japanese traditional sweets.
I like Japanese candy and desserts because they're not too sweet and you can taste all the ingredients, not just the sugar. I'll look for Anko the next time I'm at the Asian market.
Posted by: Joolie | October 13, 2004 at 02:18 PM
Hi Joolie, I found a beautiful page about Japanese sweets. http://www.ne.jp/asahi/komori/kashi/gallery_m.htm
Although this is a Japanese page, you can enjoy hundreds of pictures of "Wagashi"(Japanse sweets)
Posted by: mochi | October 14, 2004 at 10:50 AM
Anko is Japanese sweet jam made from red beans. It is as popular in Japan as cream or chocolate in Western countries. We enjoy it as a basic sweet essence of Japanese cake. I wonder why Anko is not so popular as Sushi, Teppanyaki, and other Japanese foods. As it doesn't contain any fat, it is healthy and tasty. So, I think Anko should be more popular in Canada. This is a picture of Ohagi, a sticky rice ball wrapped with Anko. This combination of Ohagi and green tea is deadly yummy. If you like sweets and are worrying about your health, I recommend this Japanese traditional sweet.
Posted by: Corrector | October 16, 2004 at 04:18 AM
One could say that the reason why it probably isn't as popular as sushi is because anko has another meaning in japanese.
It literally means "little turd".
But don't let that stop you from enjoying your desert.
Posted by: missfitted | May 16, 2005 at 04:18 PM