Monday, September 1, 2008

Seijo Kankidan


















Day forty-two: Seijo Kankidan

Kameya Kiyonaga, ¥525

A kind of confectionery coelacanth, seijo kankidan was among the earliest Chinese sweets to arrive in Japan, and is still available today in one Kyoto shop. The exterior is a flour-and-cinnamon wonton, deep-fried in aromatic sesame oil until the sculpted swirls at the top are crunchy enough to threaten delicate dental work. Inside there's a pocket of the smoothest koshian bean paste mixed with five types of powdered incense. It was rich, satisfying, and--even though I ate it while sitting out next to the river--so heavily perfumed that sesame and incense lingered in my hair for the rest of the day.



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