Monaka – Sweetness of beans

sns 三光院

10月8日

読了時間: 4分

It seems some people wonder about this. It might feel a bit unusual to start a meal with dessert.

However, this is part of the culture of the Bikuni Gosho (convents established by imperial princesses).

Regardless of whether a meal is to follow, the experience begins with hospitality in the form of tea. This is the tradition handed down through the lineage of bikuni-gosho (convents established by imperial princesses) and ama-monzeki (temples headed by nuns of imperial or aristocratic lineage /Successor title for a bikuni gosho ), a tradition upheld by Sankouin.

Therefore, the sweet treat served at the start is not merely a snack, but part of the tea service.

Although the sweet is served on its own, it is intended to enhance the flavor of the tea; the proper protocol dictates that the experience begins with the tea itself.

In the past—back when meals were served in the main hall—we used to serve daifuku (mochi stuffed with sweet bean paste). However, we switched to monaka (crisp wafers filled with bean paste) because daifuku was too filling, leaving guests too full for the meal that followed.

The design on the monaka is the sasa-rindō (bamboo grass and gentian) motif, which serves as the crest of Sankouin.

We fill the monaka wafers with sweet bean paste (*anko*) just before serving, allowing you to enjoy a delightful, crisp texture. At Sankoin, we believe that food tastes best when freshly prepared; by assembling the dish right as it is served, we ensure the monaka is delicious from the very first bite.

We occasionally receive requests from guests who want to buy our monaka as a souvenir because they enjoyed it so much, but we do not offer them for take-home purchase. (By the time you got them home, the exquisite flavor of the freshly filled paste would likely be lost.)

As you eat, you will discover a component in the center of the monaka that offers a salty and slightly bitter taste. This is known as Daitokuji-natto.

In the Kanto region, Kimuraya’s anpan (red bean bun) is famous for using salted cherry blossoms to accentuate the sweetness; however, in western Japan, Daitokuji-natto remains a popular staple. Beyond its role in sweets, it is also enjoyed as an accompaniment to rice or as a savory snack to pair with alcohol.

*A note on Daitokuji Natto

Daitokuji Natto is distinct from the common, stringy natto.

It is a type of shiokara-natto (salted fermented soybeans) made by fermenting soybeans with koji mold, adding salt, and then drying and aging the mixture. It is also known as tera-natto (temple natto) or kara-natto (Chinese-style natto).

It is a highly salty preserved food—resembling miso or soy sauce in character—that served as a vital foodstuff for temples in the past.

The roots of shiokara-natto lie in Chinese fermented soybean products known as shi (豉) or douchi (豆豉). It has been known in Japan since ancient times; in fact, shiokara-natto appears in the Shin Sarugaku-ki (New Account of Sarugaku), a text dating back to the 11th century.

In other words, contrary to popular anecdote, it was not created by the Zen monk Ikkyu(一休).

"Daitokuji Natto" was not invented from scratch by Ikkyu!

There is a broad historical narrative in which fermented soybean foods introduced from China came to be produced in Japanese temples and eventually became known as "temple natto" (*tera-natto*).

At Daitoku-ji Temple, there is a tradition that the monk Ikkyū Sōjun introduced—or left behind—the method for making this type of natto. Consequently, it is also known by the alternative name "Ikkyū Natto（一休納豆）.”

In fact, dictionaries note that "Ikkyū Natto" refers to the temple natto produced at Daitoku-ji's Shinju-an sub-temple, citing a description in the Yōshū Fushi (1684) which states that it was "originated by the monk Ikkyū."

However, the underlying product—a salty, fermented natto known as shiokara-natto—had already existed in Japan prior to that time.

At Sankō-in Temple, one also frequently hears the name "Tenryū-ji Natto." Although the names differ, the product itself is the same.

Naturally, we do not produce this Daitoku-ji Natto ourselves; it is said that even Daitoku-ji Temple no longer produces it for commercial sale. At Sankō-in, we source ours from a supplier named "Ikkyū（一久）” (written with different characters than the monk's name), located in front of Daitoku-ji.

What you see in the center is Daitokuji Natto.