- Wagashi are traditional Japanese pastries, served with matcha tea during the ceremony.
- Anko mochi (daifuku) is one of the most iconic wagashi, and it is both vegan and gluten-free.
- For everyday matcha cooking, an organic culinary-grade matcha is ideal.
If you have ever attended a Japanese tea ceremony, during which matcha tea is traditionally served, you may have had the chance to taste a beautiful Japanese pastry.
This is what is called a wagashi (和菓子): wa means "Japanese", and gashi means "cake". By contrast, Western pastries are called yogashi (洋菓子).
Wagashi come in all sorts of diverse and varied shapes, and are an integral part of Japanese culture.
What ingredients are wagashi made of?
Traditionally, rice flour and a red bean paste base (anko) are often used to make wagashi.
There are also wagashi made with wheat flour, agar-agar seaweed, which acts as a gelling agent, a Japanese starch called kuzu, or even a white bean paste.
What are the different wagashi?
There are three types of wagashi pastries that can be served with matcha tea, classified according to their moisture content:
- dry confections, called higashi (less than 20% water);
- semi-dry confections, called han-namagashi (between 20 and 40% water);
- fresh pastries, called namagashi (at least 40% water).
Among the best-known namagashi, you have no doubt heard of mochi.
Browse our full collection of organic matcha teas available to buy online.
They can also be threaded onto skewers and seasoned with caramelized soy sauce or coated in kinako (soybean powder), in which case they are called dango.
If you visit a Japanese tea house, you may also find a kind of Japanese pancake filled with anko, going by the sweet name of dorayaki.
Japanese wagashi pastries and the tea ceremony
During the tea ceremony, the tasting of the matcha, prepared by the host, is accompanied by a wagashi pastry.
First of all, the sweet flavor of the wagashi helps to balance the bitterness of the matcha, which can be disconcerting for the uninitiated.
Then, on a more poetic symbolic level, the wagashi served reflects the current season. The ritual is always rooted in the present moment and adapts to the changing seasons. The same is true of the flowers displayed in the tea room, as well as of the cakes served.
For example, in spring you will often get to enjoy wagashi shaped like sakura (cherry blossoms), or in autumn cakes shaped like maple leaves in reference to the momiji, the maple leaves turning red.
The sweets served on this occasion are generally of higher quality than those found in stores; they are called jo-namagashi or nerikiri. Nerikiri is made from a dough based on white beans and rice, easy to shape and color as desired.
Artisanal craftsmanship is required to create the beautiful patterns adorning these high-end wagashi: their aesthetic quality is paramount for the Japanese, and they often take the shape of flowers or leaves evoking the different seasons of the year.
Garantie qualité 30 jours
Nous sommes tellement convaincus que vous allez aimer le Matcha KUMIKO que nous offrons une Garantie satisfait ou remboursé de 30 jours. Retournez simplement votre boîte non ouverte sous 30 jours pour un remboursement intégral.
Easy anko mochi recipe, daifuku mochi (vegan and gluten-free)
If you cannot travel to Japan or find a Japanese tea house near you to enjoy wagashi, no worries: here is a simple and delicious daifuku mochi recipe, a traditional anko-based mochi that will transport you to the age-old alleys of Kyoto...
Trouvez votre matcha idéal 🍵
Parcourez notre sélection et trouvez ce qu'il vous faut.
Ingredients (serves 4):
- 200 ml of water
- 100 gr of glutinous rice flour
- 60 gr of powdered sugar
- starch
- one can of sweetened azuki red bean paste (anko)
- Mix 100 grams of flour and 60 grams of sugar in a mixing bowl. Add 200ml of water and stir until you obtain a smooth paste.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, then heat for 1 minute 30 seconds in the microwave at 850 W.
- Once the bowl is out of the microwave, stir roughly with a spoon, then form a large ball of dough. Dust the work surface with starch, and roll out with a non-stick rolling pin.
- Cut pieces of dough of identical size, add a teaspoon of anko to each, knead them to form a mochi, and seal the resulting ball tightly.
- Chill in the fridge before serving. Serve accompanied by a good Japanese green tea.
And to recreate the tea ceremony experience at home and create your own matcha ritual, I invite you to discover our quality organic matcha teas, full of umami and non-bitter, which I imported directly from Japan and selected with the greatest care.
To start, I invite you to try our community's favorite matcha, the organic Saemidori matcha.
Treat yourself to a wellness break by exploring our selection of organic matcha teas available online, for a moment of serenity.
