Jul 29, 2022 22:00:00

I tried to learn the indomitable spirit by eating the famous confectionery 'Gekokujo Ayu', which is a manifestation of the spirit of sweetfish that bites the cormorant.

Cormorant fishing, in which

cormorants are manipulated from the ship to catch sweetfish, is a traditional fishing method that continues throughout Japan, including Gifu and Kyoto. ' Gekokujo Ayu ' is a baked confectionery that expresses Ayu's Gekokujo, who has been frightened by the 'fear of being swallowed by cormorants' by such cormorants. It is said that it is a baked confectionery that is perfect for the 'unbeatable situation' created by the craftsmanship of Gifu's long-established Japanese confectionery shop ' Tamaiya Honpo ', which was founded in 1908, so actually buy it and check the appearance and taste. I did.

Tamaya Honpo / Shimojo Ayu
https://tamaiya-honpo.co/products/detail/24

Tamaya Honpo, which sells Gekokujo sweetfish, is located near the Yakatabune pier of Nagara River Ukai .


Arrived at the Yakatabune pier of Ukai Nagara River.

When I visited after 6 pm, the houseboat was preparing to leave the port.

The storefront of Tamaya Honpo looks like this.

Next to the entrance, the sweetfish that I was looking for was appealing.

I found Gekokujo Ayu in the store, so ...

I bought it and brought it back.

Gekokujo Ayu comes in large and small sizes, and comes in two flavors: brown sugar and matcha. This time, so that you can eat all 2 flavors and 2 sizes, 2 small sizes 2 each (left), 1 large brown sugar flavor (center), and 1 large matcha flavor (center) Right) I bought.

First, let's open a small box.

The name is confectionery, and the raw materials used are matcha, chicken eggs, flour, and Wasanbon. The calorie is 37.4 kcal per piece.

Inside the box was a piece of paper with an introductory text about Gekokujo Ayu, as well as Gekokujo Ayu wrapped in cushioning material.

A pouch containing Gekokujo sweetfish looks like this. A symbol depicting a cormorant and ayu chasing each other is written.

I took out the brown sugar flavor (left) and matcha flavor (right) from the bag. Ayu is biting on the tail of a cormorant with its wings spread. The catch phrase is, 'You can't just be eaten forever.'

Looking closer, it looks like this. The cormorant part has brown sugar or matcha flavor, and the sweetfish part has Wasanbon flavor.

Next, try opening the large size.

There is a label on the side of the large box that indicates the type of taste.

Comparing the raw materials, you can see that the brown sugar flavor (top) contains processed brown sugar and barley, and the matcha flavor (bottom) contains matcha. Each calorie is 88 kcal.

Inside the box were one large Gekokujo sweetfish.

When the large and small sizes of Gekokujo Ayu are lined up, it looks like this. The large size is powerful.

If you hold a large-sized sweetfish in your hand, you will feel a heavy weight. When I tried it, it had a firm texture that cracked and the sweetness of brown sugar and Wasanbon spread. Speaking of sweetfish-themed sweets, '

Wakaayu (sweetfish sweets) ', which is made by wrapping bean paste and gyuhi in castella dough, is famous, but Shimojo Ayu has the image of the traditional 'sweetfish-themed sweets'. It was characterized by a hard texture as if it was about to break.

As the name suggests, you can feel the strong flavor of matcha from the matcha-flavored sweetfish. In both lower and upper ayu, the wings of the cormorant and the belly of the ayu are bulging, and when you eat the bulging part, you can enjoy a crispy texture that is different from the other parts.

Shimojo Ayu is 702 yen including tax for one large size, 1404 yen including tax for four small sizes, and 4104 yen including tax for a 'gift box' containing 6 brown sugar flavors and 6 matcha flavors, at the Tamaya Honpo store. In addition to being able to purchase, you can also order online from the following online shopping sites.

Tamaya Honpo / Shimojo Ayu
https://tamaiya-honpo.co/products/detail/24