Yōkan

Yokan is a Japanese sweet treat that has a form of a firm jelly. It is made with red bean paste, sugar, and agar-agar. The jelly is formed in long rectangular blocks and served sliced into smaller pieces. The two main varieties include neri yokan, the firmer variety, and mizu yokan, a summer version which is lighter and usually served chilled. Even though red bean paste is the most common yokan flavor, chestnuts, sweet potatoes, or kidney bean paste infused with green tea are also commonly used as the base. Since yokan is versatile, numerous artisan versions with decorative appearance and unusual flavors are now available in Japan. It is believed that yokan originated as a Japanese version of the traditional gelatinous Chinese treat created with animal gelatin. Buddhist priest brought the tradition of preparing the jelly-like dessert, but adapted it to Japanese taste by replacing the animal gelatin with agar-agar. Yokan is usually consumed as a dessert or a sweet snack, and it is recommended to pair it with a glass of refreshing Japanese green tea.