Eat/Buy
“Abekawa mochi”, a rice cake dipped in brown sugar and covered with a generous amount of soybean flour, is one of Fukui Prefecture's specialties.It is a Japanese confectionery that has long been loved by people of all ages as a familiar snack as well as a summer Doyo-mochi.
“Shiki no Mochi Ameko”, located in Kokufu, Echizen City, is a long-established Japanese confectionery established 1782 years ago.Wrapped in a bamboo skin, "Abekawa mochi" is Ameko's classic taste, and many customers buy it immediately after the store opens every day.The rice cake, with its softly wafting aroma of soybean flour and rich brown sugar, is surprisingly smooth and soft. Since no additives are used, it is recommended to eat it freshly prepared.
The restaurant is run by the 12th generation, Takefumi Watanabe, and his second son, Jun, and their son.Takefumi has spent his entire life as an office worker in Japan and the U.S., and took over the restaurant from his predecessor about three years ago.
“I was called ‘Son of Ameko’since I was a child, and even at a young age, I felt that the store was loved by the locals.The family business had been on my mind for a long time, but I couldn't make up my mind.With the encouragement of customers and people around me, I decided to keep the restaurant," says Takefumi.His son Jun, who watched his father's back, also experienced working as a hotelier after graduating from college and started following the same path as his father in April 2019.
Daily preparations are made early in the morning, and by around 7:00 a.m., the delicious aroma of steaming rice cakes wafts through the store.“Rice cakes may seem simple, but it's very deep, and you can't fake it," says Takefumi.The secret to soft rice cakes is to make as many rice cakes as quickly as possible in a short period of time and with just the right amount of moisture.Too little moisture will make it hard, and too much will quickly degrade its quality.We do our best to maintain the best taste for as long as possible by carefully monitoring the temperature and humidity, which change with the season and the day, and subtly changing the steaming time and the amount of moisture.Recently, Jun has been entrusted with the responsibility of making Abekawa mochi, and he continues his trial-and-error process with the goal of "always producing the same quality product.".
The “Abekawa Mochi” is Ameko rice cake that has been passed down from generation to generation.On the other hand, since Takefumi took over, he has begun to take on new challenges, such as increasing the variety of products and changing the Anko (sweet bean paste) production method.Jun is also looking to expand his business outside of the prefecture, saying, “I want to develop my business as a rice cake shop.”.The day is near when the proud taste of Echizen's Ameko will reach people all over Japan.
Text/Ai Ishihara
