🍡 Kuri Kinton(mashed sweet potatoes with sweetened chestnuts)
When you hear "Kuri Kinton," you might typically think of it as a traditional New Year's dish, but in the area centered on the southeastern part of Gifu Prefecture, Kuri Kinton refers to a simple wagashi (Japanese sweet) made by steaming chestnuts once, then cooking them with sugar and forming them into the shape of a chestnut using a cloth. It's a straightforward sweet that allows you to fully enjoy the flavor of the chestnut itself. Originally, people used to eat chestnuts by boiling or roasting wild chestnuts, but over time, the method of squeezing boiled chestnuts with a cloth to create a form similar to Kuri Kinton emerged, marking the beginning of this confection. Considered the birthplace of Kuri Kinton and one of the leading chestnut-producing areas in the prefecture, Nakatsugawa City flourished during the Edo period as one of the important post towns along the Nakasendo highway, a major route connecting Edo (present-day Tokyo) with Kyoto and Osaka. The city developed its unique culture, including a thriving tea ceremony culture. As a result, there was a demand for delicious sweets to accompany tea, leading confectioners to compete and create various sweets using local chestnuts, giving rise to the creation of Kuri Kinton.