As a gift we received these lovely dove cookies from Japan. They originate from a bakery called Toshimaya in the town of Kamakura, an hour south of Tokyo. They are often given as a gift for the hosts of a party, and make you feel peaceful on receiving them. They have a happy butter cookie flavor and come in a happy yellow box.
We are dedicating an entire category to Japanese snacks because we love their packaging design as well as how they taste. They look so much cooler than snacks from anywhere else in the world. Above is one of our perennial favorites: Calbee Shrimp Chips. Just looking at the yellow and pink polka-dotted package is enough to feel instant happiness! For anyone watching their health, these chips are chips- better looked at than eaten...
Japanese pastries, called "Wagashi," are the perfect fusion of food and art. They are all-natural, healthy sweets, intended to be served with green tea. The sweets are lovely because they are not as over-sugared as many American and European desserts. With their balanced sweetness, they are the perfect companion to a cup of green tea.
Often inspired by forms in nature, Wagashi are so visually interesting its hard to actually eat them! As a result, we have started collecting images of them in order to document each precious little pastry before we devour it. Above is: "Kohakukanume" plum wine jelly. The following are: "Oribenishiki" red bean/chestnut cake, "Saisaika" fruit jelly and "Shimizukage" bean jelly.
My favorite so far is this last one, a "Mamedaifuku" rice cake. Despite not being as handsome as the others it was delicious. It reminds me of a wonderful Italian cookie called "bruti ma buoni," which means "ugly but good."
At our local Wagashi store, Minamoto Kitchoan in Rockefeller Plaza, the desserts also come in the most gorgeous packaging. It makes us sad to tear them open. Some shots from Minamoto Kitchoan are shown below.
If you'd like to learn more about Wagashi, or order some online, Toraya has an excellent site explaining the different kinds of Wagashi. If you try some Wagashi on your own, please snap a photo and email it to us to add to this collection.
Additional photo credits: last eight photos shown courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
