It’s spring in Japan, you will find some sakura mochi (Japanese pastry) surrounded by a cherry leaf, and it is eaten! Presentation:
Hanami, contemplation of cherry blossoms
In spring, the blossoming of cherry trees is an event, a traditional festival in Japan where you can contemplate the beauty of the pink colored landscape. This festival is called HanamiIt starts from March to May depending on the region.
You will also find these famous pastries called sakura mochi, there are 2 versions of different shapes, the first one which was created in Tokyo and another version in Kyoto. All the same, you will find one main ingredient: the cherry leaf visible on the outside.
This pastry would have been born around 1700 in Tokyo in a temple which was surrounded by cherry trees. Yamamoto Shinroku, the guardian of this temple collected these cherry leaves that fell on the ground and thought of keeping them to make nice pastries, these famous sakura mochi !
These pastries are made with glutinous rice or rice flour filled with anko (sweetened red beans).
For the anecdote, these pastries are one of the favorite of Japanese people, they are eaten especially for the girls’ festival, called Hina matsuri, on March 03.
Cherry leaf sakura in brine
Cherry leaves are fermented and delicately salted, they are a bit stiff and fibrous.
They counterbalance the sweetness of the mochi filled withanko and bring a contrast in texture, a delight!
The cherry leaves are harvested untreated, then washed, drained and fermented in a brine of boiling salted water for months or years. The leaf then becomes brownish.
You can make these fermented cherry leaves yourself but you will have to be patient! You can also find it in Asian grocery stores or on the internet, a little expensive though.
You can also use it for other pastries, as a condiment, on your savory dishes… The cherry leaf is also used as syrup.