餡・あん
An sweet bean paste
Beans simmered and kneaded with sugar — the heart of the flavor of wagashi.
An is made by simmering beans such as adzuki until soft, then adding sugar and kneading. It is so important that the taste of a wagashi is said to be decided largely by its bean paste.
Koshi-an is smooth paste, made by removing the skins of the cooked adzuki and straining them. Tsubu-an is cooked so that the beans keep their shape. Shiro-an is white paste made from white beans such as white adzuki or tebo beans, and is the base of nerikiri and konashi.
The choice of beans, the draining of the first boiling water to remove bitterness, the timing of adding sugar, the firmness to which it is kneaded. Precisely because the ingredients are so simple, the maker's way of thinking shows directly in the taste.
Column — Wagashi Travel Visiting Ruri Farm Read the column (Japanese)
