Pop Japan

Monaka is another kind of wagashi, or those sweets served during the traditional Japanese tea ceremony. The traditional monaka is actually a generous helping of the favorite red bean paste or the azuki bean jam filling, which is sandwiched between two rectangular and crispy wafers. These crunch wafers are actually made from mochi or the the Japanese dessert made from glutinous rice. Creativity has also reached the monakas for there are wafers which are square, triangular, or the more playful ones creatae sakura-shaped wafers. Some modernized the monakas by using ice cream, instead of the red bean paste.

Photo by nyanya. Licensed under Creative Commons. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en)

Tags: food, monaka, wagashi, sweets, traditional japanese tea ceremony, red bean paste, azuki bean jam filling, wafer, sakura shaped, modern monaka, ice cream sandwich