zakka news from tokyo

“Banana Monaka,” a famous confection from the Tsugaru region of Aomori Prefecture, is a Japanese sweet that originated in the early Showa period, when bananas were a luxury item. It contains no actual bananas　and instead, white bean paste infused with banana flavor is packed tightly into a banana-shaped monaka shell. This time, I went to the main store of Kyokushodo in downtown Hirosaki to buy their Banana Monaka. It tasted just like a real banana! It was delicious. ［Japanese］ 青森県津軽地方の銘菓「バナナ最中」。バナナが高級品だった昭和初期に生まれた和菓子で、バナナは一切使わず、バナナの香りをつけた白餡がバナナの形の皮にぎっしり詰まっています。今回は、旭松堂（きょくしょうどう）のバナナ最中を、弘前の街中にある本店まで買いに行きました。評判通り、まるで本物のバナナのよう。美味しかったです。