Tojikuri - Traditional sweet from Misakubo

Hamamatsu is the second largest city in Japan in surface area (about 1,558 km2). In Soramo, a space between the two buildings of Entetsu Department Store, an outdoor market is held sometimes, in which you can buy some traditional food from mountainous area that is several tens kilometers away from the downtown. Today I found Tojikuri from Misakubo, the northern most area in Hamamatsu that is adjacent to Nagano Prefecture. I bought one pack with six pieces.

They were gray as they contained buckwheat flour. Other ingredients were rice, beans, sugar, and salt. I wondered why Tojikuri contained rice as Misakubo is a mountainous area that has no rice field. In addition, what kind of beans are they? According to some websites, Tojikuri is a traditional sweet in Misakubo and Sakuma in the northern part of Hamamatsu. It was originally made for Buddha’s birthday only, and its shape is made to resemble the head of Buddha.

In fact, I ate three pieces at a time because they were so good. They contained roasted soybeans, which gave an accent to the mild sweetness of the buckwheat dumplings. I think Tojikuri was a real find in the outdoor market where you can find many other vegan products as well.