🍱 Kankoro

Ikata-cho is located on the Sadamisaki Peninsula, the narrowest peninsula in Japan and it has two fishing grounds, one in Seto Inland Sea and the other in Uwakai Sea. Rice could not be grown on the coastal areas, so the local people grew barley and sweet potatoes and ate them instead. Sweet potatoes were dried to make them last longer. “Kankoro” is a traditional dessert made using these dried sweet potatoes. The name is said to come from the sound of the wooden rice paddle when mixing the potatoes and azuki beans in the pan. During the Meiji period, “mikan” (=Japanese mandarin) seeds were planted and grown in the Nishiuwa district, and this fruit became a specialty of the region. The sloping land of the district made it suitable for growing mikan. Terraced fields surrounded by stone walls prevented erosion and surface runoff, and improved soil drainage. Also, the stone walls reflected the sunlight onto the mikan trees which helped them grow even in the cold winters. Different types of mikan have been developed in Ehime prefecture and it is one of the highest producers of the fruit in Japan.