Sweet chestnuts - Amaguri

(1) A type of roasted chestnut made by roasting Chinese Tianjin chestnuts with small pebbles containing sweetening ingredients. Also called Tianjin sweet chestnuts. Small rounded pebbles are placed in a pan and heated, and the Tianjin chestnuts are roasted while being stirred. Sugar molasses is added to give the chestnuts a flavor and to make the skin shiny. It is said that they were first sold by a Chinese person in Tokyo during the Meiji period. Unlike Japanese chestnuts, when roasted chestnuts are cut open by nicking the skin with a fingernail, the outer and astringent skins can be easily peeled off from the flesh.

(2) In ancient times, chestnuts with the skin and astringency removed were called sweet chestnuts. Since the Middle Ages, there has been a custom in which the Emperor bestows sweet chestnuts on ministers at a grand banquet held every year on New Year's Day or when a new minister takes office, inviting all ministers and other courtiers. The imperial envoy who bestows sweet chestnuts on them was called the sweet chestnut messenger and was a kurōdo (chief of the court) of the sixth rank.

[Tomomi Kono]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

(1)中国産の天津(てんしん)グリを、甘味材料を加えた小砂利とともに炒(い)った、焼き栗の一種。天津甘栗ともいう。平鍋(ひらなべ)に、丸みのある小砂利を入れて加熱し、この中で天津グリを攪拌(かくはん)加熱しながら炒り上げる。砂糖の糖蜜(とうみつ)を加えて、香りづけと皮のつや出しを行う。明治時代、中国人が東京で売り出したのが始まりといわれている。日本産のクリと異なり、炒り上げたものは、爪(つめ)で皮に傷つけて割ると、外皮と渋皮が果肉からきれいにはがれる。

（2）搗栗(かちぐり)の皮、渋を除いたものを古くは甘栗といった。中古以来、大臣が、毎年正月または新任のとき諸大臣以下殿上人を招待して行う大饗(たいきょう)に、天皇が甘栗を下賜される習わしがあったが、この勅使を甘栗の使いといい、六位の蔵人(くろうど)が務めた。

［河野友美］

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例