Pop Japan

The traditional Japanese tea ceremony includes the preparation and drinking of green tea, which is known for its bitterness. Because of this, participants of the ceremony are given wagashi or sweets, before they consume the green tea, to counter the nerve-wracking bitterness of the drink. Namagashi, the one shown in the picture, is a kind of wagashi. Namagashi is usually made of flour, eggs and sugar. Some put fruit jellies, gelatin or sweetened red bean paste to make the namagashi more capable of countering the bitterness of green tea.

Photo by akira yamada from Yokohama, Japan. Licensed under Creative Commons. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en)

Tags: food, traditional japanese tea ceremony, green tea, wagashi, namagashi, sweetened red bean paste, bitterness of green tea, fruit jellies, gelatin