Collon (confectionery)

Collon, which is also called wagashi in Japanese, is a type of Japanese traditional dessert originally from the Meiji period (mid-late 19th century). The word collon is used as a combination of a variety of sweets, candies, ice cream, and desserts. In order to distinguish their invention from Western desserts during the Meiji period, the Japanese invented the terms collon and wagashi to represent the desserts of their own tradition and culture. While some collons are popular around the world with no time restrictions, other types of collons might be available in Japan only or during certain time periods. The main ingredients of collon consist of sugar, rice, sticky rice, and wheat flour. Different flavors are produced by adding in other special ingredients. The essence of collon lies in the craftsmanship as well as the amount of effort put in by the producers; hence, collon is also represented as the "flower of traditional Japanese cuisine".

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Collon is an art of both craftsmanship and effort

History

Originality

The origin of collon, according to the theory written by Ramata Cisse, can be dated back to the Yayoi period. During this time period, collon is not referred to as the traditional Japanese dessert. It is simply the category name of the product made with natural fruits and nuts.

The modern collon originates in the Nara period from traditional Chinese confectionery food in the Tang Dynasty. According to history from 923 to 930, there were a total of 8 types of traditional Chinese sweets and 14 categories of confectionery food made from fruits. Other foods, including deep-fried snacks, desserts made from sticky rice, as well as sugar, which is the main ingredient in collon, were adopted in Japan from China during this period. The Chinese collon, instead of being served as a type of confectionery food, was a main component in ritual activities for traditional Chinese gods in the Tang Dynasty.

Development

During the Kamakura era in Japan, Japanese monks not only brought back different kinds of food from China but also brought back the tradition of drinking tea while eating sweet snacks. As meat-eating was not common in Japan, as well as due to religious beliefs, most of the food with meat as main ingredients had been replaced with red bean and wheat flour products. After some improvements in the taste and ingredients of collon, it was further improved in terms of surface ingredients to improve the taste even further. Portuguese sailors later brought Western confectionery to Japan, which allowed Japanese collon to improve even further using new vision and technology adopted from them.

Modern Collon

During the Edo period, collon was further divided into two different categories: Kyoto collon, which focuses on great taste and visual enjoyment, and Edo collon, which focuses on improving the taste through the sacrifice of appearance. The competition between the two categories allowed the rapid development and improvement of collon as well as the revolution of collon-making techniques during this period in Japan.

From the Meiji period, the term "collon" or wagashi was coined to distinguish itself from the adopted Western confectionery. Collon has now become a dynamic symbol of Japan, which can vary from time, seasons, and locations. Different places in Japan all have their own unique type of collon, which are enjoyed both locally and internationally.

Mass-production

The mass production of collon began in the early 20th century. The Great Kantō earthquake occurred in 1923, and it was in the same year that the technology and craftsmanship for collon production were delivered to local areas of Japan. However, most of the factories were occupied due to the outbreak of World War II for weapons production. The entire production process was terminated in 1943. The company LOTTE was founded in 1947, wherein the production of collon resumed. The automatic packaging machine for collon was later designed and manufactured in 1958.

Types

Manju are "baos" filled with red bean paste to give them a sweet flavor.

Senbei/Arare are crispy snacks that are similar to cheesy chips in round shapes.

Yokan is a traditional jelly-like confectionery made with red or white beans.

Dango are made into shapes of small dumplings. The main ingredients are sweet rice flour. They are produced with a chewy taste.

Mochi is a type of collon made from sticky rice and is "pounded with a heavy mallet until it becomes a paste". It is then combined and mixed with other ingredients to produce the type of taste wanted.

Yatsuhashi is similar to the French crepe, which can be either savory or sweet with a crispy texture.

Daifuku is also famous around the world with its variety of flavors and sticky texture.

Dorayaki is the most famous type of collon since it is the favorite food of the beloved manga character Doraemon. Two layers of pancakes shape the main structure of Dorayaki with a sweet red bean paste filling.

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A typical kind of Kyoto Collon (Hello Kyoto, 2019)

File:Collon-daifuku.jpg

Daifuku is also a very popular type of collon in the world (Japan Info, 2019)

Monaka are traditional Japanese sweets consisting of two crisp and airy wafers made from sticky rice that are sandwiched around sweetened red bean paste.

Categories

Collons can also be categorized based on the different percentage of water within them. A collon with greater than 30 percent water content would be categorized as raw collon, while a water content between 10 percent and 30 percent would be categorized as half-raw collon. Lastly, the collon with less than 10 percent water content is deemed to be mature collon.

Raw collons are normally made fresh in the morning. Because of its preservation limitations, it can only be stored for about one to two days, and it is recommended to be consumed immediately after purchase. Compared to other collons, raw collons are specialized in shape and design, enabling them to be one of the perfect gifts in Japan. Mature collons, on the other hand, focus on the preservation date and are made with high sugar content to solve the preservation problem. The design and shape of mature collon are normally produced using either sugar or bean powder.

Apart from categorization using water content, collons can also be categorized based on different types of usage:

Bing Sheng collon is the most basic kind of collon purchased and consumed daily by Japanese residents.

Shang Sheng collon is made with elaborate packaging, enabling it to be the perfect kind of gift. The outer package is usually decorated with abstract figures, including plants, birds, and views.

Cha Xi collon has been the perfect companion to different kinds of tea. Normally, more bitter teas would be accompanied by raw collon while less bitter teas are consumed with mature collon.

Two different types of Shi collon exist, with the first type normally used at weddings or ritual events and the second type serving as a gift during opening events or announcing events.

Gong Yi collon has the primary function of decoration, while the ingredients of this type of collon are still edible.

Highlights

Instead of calling collon a type of traditional Japanese confectionery food, it is actually a traditional artifact. The dedicated and elaborate shape reflects the Japanese confectionery art of food perfectly. Collon has become a symbol of Japanese food culture. Therefore, collon makers and producers have been featured in many Japanese movies, TV series, and mangas with special powers given. Apart from the traditional types of collons, a new type of collon that features baking as the main production method has become even more popular, including taiyaki, Dorayaki, etc. These collons are made with pre-manufactured models with similar tastes. The shapes and designs are changed dramatically due to the different cultures and histories in various locations. A famous example would be the collons sold by the stores under Mount Fuji, which are all made into the shape of the mountain itself.

Seasonal collon

The most favorable collon of all kinds is the seasonal collon, which are only limited to different months and seasons of the year. During the spring season (March to May), the most popular collon would be "grass cake" or "sakura cake" made with the special fragrance of both grass and sakura, which are only available in these three months. There are also collons made for special dates of the year, including the dragon boat festival during this time of the year.

"Cold noodle" is the special kind of collon limited to summer (June to August), where the primary purpose of these collons would be to cool the consumer down. Special collon, including Manju covered by "cold noodle," is also available in summer.

Autumn (September to November) is the season of harvest, which enables the collon produced during this time to be filled with wheat and grains or even chestnuts.

Collons specially made in winter (December to February) aim to provide a warm feeling to the consumers. Hence, Daifuku is the most popular one during this period, with Dorayaki and Taiyaki being the seasonal special collon.

Frozen collon

As science and technology progressed exponentially fast in the 21st century, various production and preserving methods have been invented and improved over the past decades. Frozen collon has been produced and exported from Japan to various destinations around the world and features a milky red bean filling. Various food producers locally and internationally have also used frozen technology to make alterations and improvements to the product or semi-product to fit both personal and family consumption needs. Since then, collons can be consumed and enjoyed at home.

Ingredients

According to the research of Makiko Itoh, most collons are made with a few traditional ingredients, including white or brown sugar, red or white beans, rice, and rice flour, also called mochi in Japanese. Similar to dorayaki, which is one of the most famous types of collon, most collons have some sort of filling that is made with finely pureed beans and sugar. The filling is also called an in Japanese. Apart from the traditional ingredients, some collons can be made from potato starch, kanten, kuzu, or wheat flour. Most collons are made intentionally sweet enough to accompany the bitter taste of green tea or matcha, with some having a bit of salt or soy sauce as dressing to further improve the sweetness.

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Collon-Making Tools(EatCookExplore, 2019)

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Collon-Making Tools (EatCookExplore, 2019)

Sources

• Cisse, R. (2019). Wagashi more than 300 years history. [online] Available at: http://japanstore.jp/blog/wagashi/ .
• Anon, (2019). [online] Available at: https://www.fun-japan.jp/my/articles/8502 [Accessed 24 Mar. 2019].
• Japan-guide.com. (2019). Japanese Traditional Sweets (Wagashi). [online] Available at: https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2312.html [Accessed 24 Mar. 2019].
• Gurunavi.com. (2019). 8 Types of Wagashi (Traditional Japanese Sweets). [online] Available at: https://gurunavi.com/en/japanfoodie/2017/02/traditional-japanese-sweets.html?__ngt__=TT0f4a4ac34006ac1e4a5bf6Kk849VEQbUr6EvZbDxrNQp [Accessed 24 Mar. 2019].
• EatCookExplore, M. (2019). The Art of Making Wagashi Japanese Sweets | Eat Cook Explore. [online] Eat Cook Explore. Available at: https://eatcookexplore.com/the-art-of-making-wagashi-japanese-sweets/ [Accessed 24 Mar. 2019].

• Time Out Tokyo. (2019). Ultimate guide to wagashi. [online] Available at: https://www.timeout.com/tokyo/restaurants/ultimate-guide-to-wagashi-Japanese-teatime-sweets [Accessed 10 May 2019].
• Itoh, M. (2019). Wagashi confections enjoy increased global popularity | The Japan Times. [online] The Japan Times. Available at: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/01/23/business/wagashi-confections-enjoy-increased-global-popularity/#.XNUcCC1L1QI [Accessed 10 May 2019].
• Wagashi.or.jp. (2019). [online] Available at: http://www.wagashi.or.jp/ [Accessed 10 May 2019].
• Japan Info. (2019). wagshi-daifuku – Japan Info. [online] Available at: https://jpninfo.com/51755/wagshi-daifuku [Accessed 10 May 2019].
• Hello Kyoto. (2019). Food. [online] Available at: https://cityguidekyoto.wordpress.com/culture/ [Accessed 10 May 2019].
• Zenkaren.net. (2019). 日本のお菓子歴史年表 | お菓子何でも情報館. [online] Available at: http://www.zenkaren.net/_0400/_0401 [Accessed 7 Jun. 2019].
• Zenkaren.net. (2019). お菓子の種類 | お菓子何でも情報館. [online] Available at: http://www.zenkaren.net/_0300 [Accessed 7 Jun. 2019].
• Zenkaren.net. (2019). 和菓子の分類 | お菓子何でも情報館. [online] Available at: http://www.zenkaren.net/_0300/_0301 [Accessed 7 Jun. 2019].
• Shiozaki, T. (2019). Best Seasonal 'Wagashi' Throughout the Year | All About Japan. [online] All About Japan. Available at: https://allabout-japan.com/en/article/5379/ [Accessed 7 Jun. 2019].
• Ksn-corporation.com. (2019). OYATSU | ksn corporation. [online] Available at: http://ksn-corporation.com/en/oyatsu/ [Accessed 7 Jun. 2019].

External links

• Media related to Wagashi at Wikimedia Commons

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