| Interesting topic, SunkenCiv. Living in Japan the past 3 years I'm steadily learning what adzuki beans are all about. Two thousands years ago, Japanese had no written language, so scholars in Japan used Chinese (kanji) to discuss complex topics. So it makes sense that the Japanese learned a great deal from China about growing and preparing adzuki beans. It wasn't until around the year 1000 when the nobility of Kyoto developed their own Japanese written language based on an ingenious syllabary called hiragana based on 100 unique sounds. This language "technology" brought Japanese civilization to the surface since knowledge was now highly accessible to: farmers, craftsmen, merchants, workers, and the common people. But I digress :-) Atzuki are red beans that taste much like other beans. But what the Japanese do is sweeten atsuki beans to become "anko", which is used in all sorts of hot street food you'll find in abundance during the cold months of the year. Now one other key use of the sweetened adzuki bean is to create confections of exquisite artistry and subtle taste. A beautiful explanation with pictures is shown in this story: |
