“Sensei, do you want to try one?” I looked up and saw an eye-catching, rectangular shape wrapped in crinkly plastic in my coworker’s outstretched hand.
“Sure! What is it?”
“It’s candy… But you might not like the texture. It’s like jelly? Gummy? I can’t explain.”
Intrigued, I bit into it — and immediately felt my face scrunch in confusion.
Misuzu-ame
The candy I’d been given was called Misuzu-ame, a sweet native to Nagano Prefecture. Coming in only 6 flavors, these small rectangles are handmade and crafted almost exclusively with Nagano-grown produce. From top to bottom, left to right, the flavors are: apricot, sanpokan (from Wakayama), plum (from Wakayama and Saga), apple, grape, and peach
On the outside is an odorless, tasteless, edible film called オブラート (oburato, oblaat). This keeps the naturally sticky candy from sticking to each other.
The texture, like my teacher hinted at, is odd. It’s a… hard jelly? Hard gummy? Definitely easy to chew and not as teeth-coating as a gummy, but I’m not sure what else to compare it to.
Where’d the name come from?
What an excellent question! To find the origin of ‘Misuzu,’ see if you can answer these two questions! The first relates to history and the second to the Japanese language.
A. Arukuma no kuni (Land of Arukuma)
B. Shinano no kuni (Land of Shinano)
C. Ringo no kuni (Land of Apples)
Option A’s Arukuma is actually the mascot for Nagano Prefecture, and while we’re certainly famous for apples, the name wasn’t option C either.
A. Decorative, fluffy words used in literature
B. Things people say to themselves before bed
C. A compliment
Without going too deep into it, the purpose of makurakotoba are to invoke a certain image or feeling in the reader. They are typically used in waka poetry, and usually consist of 5 syllables placed before a word it describes.
Why are ‘Shinano no kuni’ and ‘pillow words’ important? Let’s find out.
Hundreds of years ago, when Nagano was called Shinano, the makurakotoba for this beautiful area was みすゞかる (misuzu karu). The image it brings to mind? Cutting down bamboo grass. Seems fitting; we’ve got a lot of that here haha.
Anyway, Shinano was lovingly referred to as misuzu-karu for years and years. Misuzu-ame was created and took it’s name from the flowery pillow word for the area. There you go! That’s how this tasty candy got it’s name (even though, as it turns out, people had been mis-reading the kanji for years and the correct reading is mikomo karu… oh well!).
Where can I find Misuzu-ame?
Looking to pick up some of these wonderfully simple treats for a gift? Or just to try? You can find Misuzu-ame at their main store near Ueda Station, or at Midori in Nagano Station. They are also in some souvenir shops across the prefecture. Keep an eye out for special flavors too! The pack on the left was a special edition, and it contained a new peach flavor!
