Akafuku

Akafuku is a kind of wagashi(traditional Japanese sweets for eating with green tea)almost every district has it's own local speciality but this one comes from Ise city in Mie prefecture.
The city is also famous for Ise grand shrine a very ancient shinto temple belonging to the emperor.

Since ancient time Ise Jingu has attracted many pilgrims,and even today the temple and it's surrounds are busy with people buying the areas famous souvenirs. The most famous is Akafuku,an egg-sized ball of sticky rice(mochi)covered in sweetened red bean paste(adzuki bean).

My husband recently returned from a business trip to Mie with a box of Akafuku.He tole me  that these local rice cakes have been sold for over 300years. The directions on the box one that they must be eaten in less than 3days as they are prone to spoiling.

Indeed,about 3years ago the factory was closed down after factory workers leaked the fact that many of the products sold are in fact frozen before sale.
This prompted an investigation by health department officials.During the year long factory closure and withdrawal of Akafuku from the market,the truth was uncovered.
Firstly,there were no cases of any customers becoming ill after eating the sweets.
It was rather a case of misrepresentation.The company had led the public to believe they were offering a freshly made product only.
When the factory re-opend there were strict guidelines to ensure this misrepresentation could not continue.

Anyway they were delicious and I learnt  something about their origins from the packaging.Apparently,the pattern on the top of the cake stands for stream while the enclosed  sticky rice ball represents a stone.
This refers to the beautiful river beside the factory with it's bed of smooth stones.
Actually,Akafuku's soft texture(like a baby's cheek)makes it very safe to eat even for old people who have lost their teeth.



Akafuku might be my No.1 favorite wagashi.
I ate a lot !!!