Minazuki - Traditional sweet in June originated from Kyoto

We have the rainy season now. It is expected to last until around July 21. In old Japanese, June in the lunar calendar was called minazuki (水無月). According to these Chinese characters, it means “month without water”, however, I’ve heard minazuki actually means “month with water.” June in the lunar calendar is said to be the season when rice fields are filled with water.

At the end of June, people in Kyoto have a tradition to eat a sweet that is also called minazuki (written with the same Chinese characters). It is intended to pray for good health for the second half of the year. Now, this sweet is sold also in Hamamatsu, and probably in other towns as well. It is a triangle cake (to look like ice) with adzuki beans on top.

In fact, I wanted to introduce minazuki last year in the article “Vegan sweet in June”, but I couldn’t, because it was only sold in a pack with two pieces or more. As it doesn’t last long, and I didn’t want to eat more than one, I gave up buying it. But this year, I could find a small product suitable for one person. It was sold in Mataichian in the basement of Entetsu Department Store. I cooled it in a refrigerator to have it more delicious.

When I removed the cover, I found that this minazuki was not one square piece but was cut in two, in triangle!

Two pieces of mini minazuki for one portion. The confectionary store Mataichian is very smart.

I mistook the white layer as a rice cake. Actually, the ingredients of this minazuki were sugar, adzuki beans, wheat flour, wheat flour starch, plant protein, and starch syrup of reduced malt sugar. Though the white layer was elastic and resembled a rice cake, it was a little harder and wasn’t sticky. This cooled cake tasted very good with sweet adzuki beans.

Minazuki is widely known in the Kansai area but not in Hamamatsu. The ingredients seem to vary depending on stores. If there are any other stores that sell it loose, I’d like to try again by the end of this month.