Yatsuhashi facts for kids
Yatsuhashi (八ツ橋 or 八橋) is a special Japanese sweet. It's often sold as a souvenir when people visit Japan, especially the city of Kyoto. This tasty treat is made from simple ingredients like rice, sugar, and cinnamon. You can find Yatsuhashi in two main forms: a soft, chewy version called "nama Yatsuhashi" or a hard, baked one.
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A Sweet History
The story of Yatsuhashi began a long time ago, during the Edo period in Japan. It's named after a person called Yatsuhashi Kengyo. He was a very careful person who didn't like to waste anything. He found a way to use leftover rice to create this new sweet. After he passed away, people in Kyoto really loved Yatsuhashi. Over time, it became a very famous and popular food in the city.
What's Inside? (Ingredients)
Yatsuhashi is made from a few key ingredients. These include rice flour, soybean flour, sesame, and sugar cane. A very important ingredient is a lot of cinnamon. There's a special kind of cinnamon called "Nikkei" that gives Yatsuhashi its unique and delicious taste.
Famous Yatsuhashi Shops
Many shops in Kyoto make and sell Yatsuhashi. Some of them have been around for a very long time!
Izutsu Yatsuhashi Honpo
This shop was started by Sahei Tsuda in 1805. That's over 200 years ago! At one of their shops, called Kyogoku Ichibangai, visitors can even try making their own Yatsuhashi.
Otabe
Otabe started as a sweet shop in 1946. They began selling Yatsuhashi in 1949. The company's name changed to "Otabe" in 1969. In 2010, their "Choco-Yatsuhashi" won a special gold prize at a competition called Monde Selection.
Honke Nishio Yatsuhashi
The history of Honke Nishio Yatsuhashi goes back even further, to 1687. That means this shop has been making sweets for over 300 years! Back then, they sold something called "Shiramochi," which was like an early version of the soft Yatsuhashi we know today.
Besides these, other well-known Yatsuhashi shops in Kyoto include 'Goden Yatsuhashi', 'Seikodo', and 'Hakushindo'.
Different Kinds of Yatsuhashi
Yatsuhashi comes in many different forms and flavors, depending on the shop.
From Izutsu Yatsuhashi Honpo
- Izutsu Yatsuhashi: This is the classic baked sweet. It's shaped like a long Japanese musical instrument with thirteen strings.
- Nama-Yatsuhashi: This is the soft and chewy version.
- Yuko: This is a sweet that contains bean jam inside.
- Other flavors: You can find Nama-Yatsuhashi in flavors like strawberry, powdered green tea, chocolate, and apple.
From Otabe
- Otabe Nama-Yatsuhashi: This soft Yatsuhashi uses special rice from Fukui prefecture called "Koshihikari," adzuki beans from Hokkaido, and water from Fukui.
- Other flavors: They also have flavors like chocolate, powdered green tea, salt, and sesame.
- Yatsuhashi: This is their traditional baked Yatsuhashi.
- Choco-Yatsuhashi: This is a unique sweet from Otabe. The Yatsuhashi is baked very thin and then covered in chocolate.
- Nama-Yatsuhashi: This is their soft, chewy dough.
From Honke Nishio Yatsuhashi
- Yatsuhashi: This is their crisp, baked version.
- Flavors: They offer flavors like powdered green tea, sesame, and banana.
- Pocket-Yatsuhashi: This is a small Yatsuhashi that's easy to carry in your pocket.
- Flavors: These come in cacao, strawberry, and powdered green tea.
Images for kids
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Assorted nama yatsuhashi. Flavors, from top to bottom: tofu, cinnamon, sesame.
See also
In Spanish: Yatsuhashi para niños
