Akumaki

Akumaki is a sweet confection from the Tōhoku region of northern Japan, especially Iwate and Akita prefectures, where it is one of the classic omiyage purchased at railway stations and rural highway stops. The name breaks down as aku plus maki, meaning rolled, a reference to the rolled, pastel-striped appearance the candy develops once sliced.

The sweet is built from two thin layers of kuzu-starch jelly. The outer layer is plain or pale-coloured and flavoured with a gentle sugar syrup; the inner layer is dyed pink or pale green with edible food dye and scented with light fruit or floral notes. The two layers are rolled together like a swiss roll, chilled until firm, and cut into thick coin-shaped slices that show a concentric spiral when sliced across.

Traditionally akumaki is sold as a winter sweet because the cold air of Tōhoku helps the jelly set firmly without added pectin. It is commonly eaten with hot green tea after a long train journey, paired with mugwort or yuzu confections, and is increasingly being reissued by old Kanazawa and Morioka wagashi makers who have kept the recipe in private notebooks since the early Shōwa era.