Tokoroten

Tokoroten

Type	Wagashi
Place of origin	Japan
Main ingredients	Seaweed (tengusa, ogonori)
Media: Tokoroten

Tokoroten (心太, ところてん) is a dish in Japanese cuisine made from agarophytes. It has been eaten in Japan for over a thousand years. Tokoroten is thought to have been introduced to Japan from China during the Nara period. It was traditionally made by boiling tengusa (Gelidium amansii) and then allowing the mixture to congeal into a jelly.

Tokoroten was a popular snack during the summertime in Edo (Tokyo) during the Edo period. It was originally made to be eaten immediately and was commonly sold around factories. In the 17th century, it was discovered that freezing tokoroten would result in a stable and dry product known as kanten (agar). While tokoroten can be made from kanten based on seaweeds such as tengusa (Gelidiaceae) and ogonori (Gracilaria), today, commercially produced kanten is mostly made from ogonori.

Pressed through an extruding device, the jelly is shaped into noodles. Unlike gelatin desserts, tokoroten has a firmer texture.

Tokoroten can be eaten hot (in solution) or cold (as a gel). Flavorings and garnishes can vary from region to region. In the present day, it is the most common to eat it with a mixture of vinegar and soy sauce, and sometimes nori, hot pepper, or sesame. In the Kansai region, tokoroten is eaten as a dessert with kuromitsu.

Sources

• Armisen, Rafael; Galatas, Fernando (1987). "Production, properties and uses of agar". In McHugh, Dennis J. (ed.). Production and Utilization of Products from Commercial Seaweeds. Food and Agriculture Organization. ISBN 9251026122. Archived from the original on 24 March 2017. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
• Ito, Keiji; Hori, Kanji (1989). "Seaweed: Chemical composition and potential food uses". Food Reviews International. 5 (1): 101–144. doi:10.1080/87559128909540845.
• Mouritsen, Ole G. (2013). Seaweeds: Edible, Available, and Sustainable. The University of Chicago Press. ISBN 9780226044361.
• Shimamura, Natsu (4 August 2010). "Agar". The Tokyo Foundation. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
• Stephen, Alistair M., ed. (1995). "Agars by Norman F. Stanley". Food Polysaccharides and Their Applications (1st ed.). Marcel Dekker – CRC Press. p. 198. ISBN 978-082479353-1. OCLC 32389736 – via Google Books. search Tokoroten nori