Kudzu mochi - Kuzu mochi

A rice cake snack made from kudzu starch. The Edo period book "Ryori Monogatari" states, "One sho of kudzu starch is mixed with one and a half sho of water, kneaded, and then served. All rice cakes can be sprinkled with soybean flour, salt, and sugar. Kudzu starch and bracken flour can also be ground well with a mortar and then kneaded." Kudzu starch dissolved in water is heated and kneaded until it becomes translucent, then steamed in a steamer. If the steamed product is not firm and smooth, it cannot be considered a good product. It is a summer snack because it is a refreshing snack, but it is always available as a souvenir in front of temples. Cut the cooled kudzu mochi into triangles with a knife, pour brown sugar syrup over it, and sprinkle on soybean flour before eating. The Izumo no Kuni Fudoki, section on Kannabiyama, and the Hizen no Kuni Fudoki, section on Chigasaki, mention kudzu root along with various wild plants, proving that the technique of making kudzu starch from kudzu root has existed since ancient times. It is believed that it was around the Muromachi period that kudzu began to be used in cooking, such as with bean paste, and in sweets, rather than as a staple food.

In Nissaka (Shizuoka Prefecture), located between Kakegawa and Kanaya on the Tokaido, warabi mochi (warabi mochi) became a local specialty. In the 1616 (Genwa 2) "Heishin Kiko" (Hayato Michiharu), it is written that "The people here sell warabi mochi. It has been called Hizaka warabi mochi since ancient times because it relieves the hunger of people on the road. Sometimes it is made into steamed mochi by mixing it with kudzu powder, or made with bean powder and salt and offered to travelers. People know that it is warabi mochi but do not know that it is kudzu mochi," which shows that once it is made into starch, it was difficult to distinguish between warabi and kudzu.

As for the specialty kudzu mochi in the Edo area, Funabashi-ya in front of Kameido Tenjin has been selling it since 1805 (Bunka 2), and it has also been a specialty in front of Kawasaki Daishi Temple since the Tenpo era (1830-1844), and in front of Ikegami Honmonji Temple. It is said that in Hizaka on the Tokaido, kudzu mochi was called warabi mochi, but the work of collecting both kudzu starch and warabi starch was very hard work. As a result, genuine kudzu starch fell out of use and became expensive, and wheat starch was developed instead. It is said that wheat starch was already in widespread use when Funabashi-ya opened.

[Fumio Sawa]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

葛粉でつくった餅菓子。江戸時代の『料理物語』には、「葛粉一升に水一升五合入れ、練りて出し候。餅はいずれも豆の粉（きな粉）、塩、砂糖かけてよし。また葛粉、蕨(わらび)粉はなんどきも薬研(やげん)にてよくおろしてこね申すなり」とある。水で溶いた葛デンプンを加熱し、半透明になるまで練り上げてから蒸籠(せいろう)で蒸す。蒸し上がりは、腰があって滑らかでなければ良品といえない。季節的には涼感のある菓子だから夏のものだが、門前土産(みやげ)などでは常時商っている。冷たくした葛餅に包丁を入れて三角形に切り、黒糖蜜(とうみつ)をかけ、きな粉をまぶして食べる。『出雲国風土記(いずものくにふどき)』神名樋山(かんなびやま)の条や、『肥前国風土記(ひぜんのくにふどき)』値嘉崎(ちがさき)の条に、葛根がもろもろの野草山菜とともに記されており、葛根から葛デンプンを製する技法が古代からあったことがわかる。これが主食でなく、餡(あん)かけなどの調理や、菓子に利用されるようになったのは室町時代ごろとされる。

　東海道の掛川宿(かけがわのしゅく)と金谷(かなや)宿の中間にある日坂(にっさか)（静岡県）では、わらび餅を名物とした。1616年（元和2）の『丙辰紀行(へいしんきこう)』（林道春）には、「このところの民、蕨餅を売る。往還のもの飢えを救うゆえ、いにしえより日坂の蕨餅とて、その名あるものなり。あるいは葛の粉をまじえて蒸し餅とし、豆の粉に塩を和して旅人にすすむ。人その蕨餅なりと知りて、その葛餅ということを知らず」と記されており、デンプンにしてしまえば、わらびも葛も識別がむずかしかったことがわかる。

　江戸近郊の名物葛餅としては、亀戸(かめいど)天神前にある船橋屋が1805年（文化2）以来ののれんであるほか、川崎大師の門前では天保(てんぽう)（1830～44）以後に、また池上本門寺の門前でも葛餅を名物としてきた。東海道の日坂では葛餅をわらび餅と称したというが、葛粉もわらび粉も採取作業はかなりの重労働であった。このため正真の葛粉は廃れて高価な存在となり、かわって小麦デンプンが開発された。船橋屋の開業時にはすでに小麦デンプンが普及していたといわれる。

［沢　史生］

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