Wafers

Day forty-nine: Wafers

Left: Saganotsuki
Ryuen, ¥262 for three
Right: ?
Suetomi ¥1200 for twelve

On the left, discs of thick rice paper are glued together with a schmear of yuzu, plum, or black miso paste--the flavors so subtle that the selection isn't as jarring as it might otherwise be. The sweets on the right are as delicate and crusty as frozen snow, with an initial crunch that melts immediately on the tongue; wafers of rice flour and sugar are frosted with more sugar and sandwiched together with yet more sugar, a gritty plum-flavored mixture with enough tartness to pull the whole thing back from the edge of insipidity. Best accompanied by a cup of hot green tea.