🍱 Getanha

"Getanha" is one of Kagoshima's local sweets, made to serve tea to people who gathered in Yokogawa Town (now Kirishima City), which used to be a rice-gathering area. It is said that the unique name came from the fact that it resembled the tooth of a geta (Japanese wooden clogs) stained with mud. It was also called "triangular sweets" in those days. The rich brown sugar flavor of "Getanha" spreads in the mouth, and brown sugar is lavishly used in the dough and in the coating around it. It is believed that brown sugar took strong root as a sweetener in Kagoshima Prefecture during the Edo period, when the Satsuma clan, which ruled the Ryukyu Kingdom, monopolized the cultivation of sugarcane and the production of brown sugar, which were practiced in the Ryukyu and Amami regions, and used them as a major source of revenue for the Satsuma clan.The Satsuma clan's finances were quickly restored by monopolizing the production of brown sugar, which was very expensive at the time, and by forcing the islanders to pay annual tribute in brown sugar instead of rice. The islanders, on the other hand, were forced to prioritize the production of brown sugar, which made it impossible for them to produce food on a daily basis, creating a harsh situation known as "brown sugar hell. This history has led to the spread of brown sugar on the Kagoshima mainland, and with it, the birth of various local dishes made with brown sugar. It is thought that "Getanha" was born from this background as a confectionery using brown sugar, and became popular among the general public.