MAM CAFE's Commitment: Monaka Series

About MAM MONAKA

The culture of eating "Monaka" is said to have originated in the Edo period. It developed mainly in the wagashi (Japanese confectionery) culture of Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture, and Monaka became popular as a confectionery loved by many people. MAM MONAKA was also born in this city of Kanazawa.

The main ingredients of monaka are water and glutinous rice. The glutinous rice used in MAM MONAKA is Shintaisho mochi, which is characterized by its stickiness, chewiness, smoothness, and sweet flavor. It is so popular for its deliciousness that it is called the king of glutinous rice. It is mainly grown in the paddy fields of the Hokuriku region, which is rich in clean water. After careful harvesting and milling, 100% Shintaisho mochi is used to produce the monaka wafers.

Water is added to glutinous rice flour, kneaded, and steamed. During this kneading stage, the monaka is colored. MAM MONAKA uses safe and stable food coloring to create traditional Japanese colors. In particular, we draw inspiration from the auspicious colors used in Shichi-Go-San celebratory kimonos, regional toys, temari balls, Hina dolls, and chiyogami paper. These colors boldly and brilliantly arrange classical hues, embodying wishes for "a bright future," "health," and "peace." MAM MONAKA also carries the wish that both givers and receivers will feel bright and happy.

Baking monaka is very challenging. In midsummer, the factory temperature approaches 40 degrees Celsius. Monaka are baked at around 200 degrees Celsius, and the freshly baked wafers are removed from the molds by hand. MAM MONAKA wafers are very large and delicate. The heat control is difficult, leading to uneven baking and damage (cracks or breakage when removing from the mold), resulting in about 10% of the wafers being rejected as substandard and unable to be productized. However, the substandard ones are recycled into products like kanbai-ko (roasted monaka only).

Each monaka wafer is individually filled by hand with ingredients such as soup or clear soup and then wrapped. When hot water is added and the monaka dissolves, the fragrant aroma of the monaka spreads gently along with the scent of the soup. The softened monaka adds a pleasant thickness to the soup, stimulating the appetite.

The deliberate act of wrapping soup or clear soup, which can be enjoyed as is, in monaka. This embodies MAM MONAKA's desire for those who eat it to not only find it "delicious" but also "interesting" and "fun."