#7 Japanese sweets used in the tea ceremony

  One of the things which are necessary when you drink tea in the Japanese tea ceremony is a Japanese sweets. There are many kinds of sweets. But if you want to divide them,  these sweets can be distributed between two kinds mainly. The sweets having more than 70% of constant of the water is called The Main Sweets, and less than 70% is called The Dry Sweets. Today, I'll show you what the Japanese sweets are. And please know about the culture of the Japanese sweets.

  
  In the first place, the Japanese sweets are which has been made by a premise to eat while drinking tea. What the most important matter is that not only eating only a Japanese sweet and feeling that it is delicious but also enhancing taste of the Japanese tea. Then, for this purpose, what is the thing necessary for Japanese sweets? The answer is a flavor. A flavor is not only taste simply, but also its figure, color, smell, those entireties. It is demanded that the owner who held a tea party makes use of the flavor of tea sweets. Seasonally suitable color and form,  the taste that is not too weak without being too strong, timing to give a guest it, the tea sweet plays its role only after you consider all of them. Tea sweets were made by an owner of a tea party  oneself in old days. However, in these days, it is common that the tea sweet is entrusted with outside. So please know only that there is such backgrounds.
 Then, let's explain only a little the history if the Japanese sweet next. The origin of Japanese sweets are fruits and nuts. Rice growing came in Yayoi period, and they changed a figure from staple food into luxury foods. Fruits to just eat without processing it named The Water Sweet, and preservation food to eat with processing it named The Dry Sweet. These are the origin of current names. Afterwards,Chinese sweets came from China and had a big influence on Japanese sweets culture. This is because the width of the dish method spread by having come to use cereals. And tea ceremony comes into existence in Muromachi period. The Japanese sweet developed as a thing eaten with tea. And The Kyoto sweets which are beautiful and delicate are made in Kyoto in Edo period. The current Japanese sweet was born.

 In the next article, I'll introduce you various Japanese sweets.