Kanten – a Japanese jelly powder
Agar is a jelly-like food made from algae and discovered in the late 1650s or early 1660s by Mino Tarōzaemon (美濃太郎左衛門) in Japan, it is called kanten.
Kanten appears quite a lot in Japanese desserts, commonly called "Jelly" by foreigners, but is the essence of Kanten the same as regular dew? What makes Kanten so popular in Japan?
Kanten's kanji, 寒天, is read in Han Nom as "Han Thien" possibly because Kanten is often made in regions famous for cold weather like Nagano. Kanten made from a type of seaweed called Tengusa, Tengusa can be obtained in all parts of Japan except for the northernmost island of Hokkaido.
Tengusa before harvest has a beautiful deep purple color, after harvest Tengusa is washed and dried before being shipped to mountainous areas where winters are cold but dry for successful processing of Kanten. .
Kanten has a slightly opaque color, without mixing taste and aroma. In terms of quality, Kanten is much better than regular dew, because Kanten is more concentrated but not too chewy, has good adhesion, so it does not need to be refrigerated.
Throughout history jelly has been used primarily as an ingredient in desserts throughout Asia. In terms of health benefits, Kanten contains almost no calories or fat, but has a very high fiber content, which is different from the usual dew powder made from animal ingredients. After eating, Kanten can increase the volume three times.
Therefore, recently Kanten has become an ideal weight loss food. In medicine, Kanten can expel radioactive and toxic substances from the body, helping with good digestion.
Agar was discovered around 1658 in Japan (where it was called kanten by Mino Tarōzaemon, an innkeeper)
Kanten is an ideal thickener for many dishes, can be made into a type of vermicelli called tokoroten, often enjoyed during summer in Japan with a salty sauce or sugary sauce. In addition, Kanten also appears a lot in desserts such as Shiratama Kurian or Parfait, etc..
The reason why Kanten is often eaten with other dishes is because Kanten is colorless and odorless, so served with red beans, ice cream, marshmallows or fruit to fully enjoy the coldness of Kanten and the sweetness of the dishes.
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