Photos by Tohoku Digital Archive

Introduction

According to the Akita City Sightseeing and Event Information Website, Sanazura (さなづら) is a “vividly coloured Japanese-style confection” made from the fruit from wild grapes called Yamabudō (やまぶどう) and natural agar, and has a “rich sweet-and-sour taste almost like a wine”. Sanazura is made from the concentrated juice of these grapes and is then solidified in moulds, making a thin, rectangular, hardened jelly and is a popular souvenir to buy from Akita Prefecture. The Yamabudō grapes have been known to be a gift from nature and a natural sweet treat that improves health. They are said to be good for recovering from anaemia and fatigue among many other things.

Where to purchase

How to eat it

Sanazura is a versatile sweet treat and can of course be eaten on its own, but there are a variety of different ways to eat it, including combinations with yoghurt or bread. Creating these combinations can allow you to experience a totally different taste. 

In the Sanazura packaging there will be a small toothpick-like knife for cutting the Sanazura up. A great characteristic of this treat is that you can cut it up in pieces of any size you like. This small knife was originally made from wood but nowadays, it is typically made from plastic or bamboo.

1. Chop up Sanazura and mix with plain yoghurt. These two flavours will complement each other, with the coolness of the yoghurt cutting through the sourness of the Sanazura and softening its texture.

2. Serve a whole piece on buttered toast. This is certainly something that you will enjoy if you typically eat toast with strawberry or blueberry jam. The butter mellows the sourness of the Sanazura, and we recommend a thickly sliced bread to balance the strong flavour of Sanazura.

3. Since eating Sanazura has often been described as being similar to “eating wine”, perhaps it would go well with cheese, which like yoghurt, is a dairy product. A cheese with a light flavour would also balance out the sourness of Sanazura like yoghurt does. 

4. We also think eating Sanazura with crackers would be delicious, particularly a salty cracker or cheese biscuits, as they would provide a good base to eat it with, like bread.

As well as the typical form of Sanazura, there are also sister products to it: Sanazura Jelly (さなづらゼリー) and Sanazura Kudzu Yōkan. These are probably best eaten as they are, like a desert. Sanazura Jelly is a loose jelly with a flavour like aged wine. It has a smoother texture than regular Sanazura and it is both less sour and less sweet. It is recommended that you eat it chilled during summertime. Sanazura Kudzu Yōkan has a more chewy texture than Sanazura Jelly. It has a balance of sweetness and sourness, and a completely unique flavour.

How common/well known

For tourists, foreign residents, or Japanese nationals who do not reside in Akita prefecture, Sanazura will likely be something that they have never heard of or seen before, since it is only made in this prefecture. However, it is a sweet treat that is loved by many residents of Akita, many of which have grown up eating it. It is a popular souvenir from Akita, and is often displayed at the entrance of stores such as the Topico department store in autumn.

Are there similar things in other prefectures?

In Japan, Yōkan is sweet gooey jelly wagashi (Japanese confection) made from red bean paste, agar and sugar. This is therefore something similar to Sanazura but the taste is less sour. It comes in a solid block form. 

In other cultures, the most similar thing to Sanazura would perhaps be jams, jellies and chutneys, when comparing flavour. When comparing texture, gummy sweets would perhaps be the most similar to Sanazura, but of course, these processed gummy sweets are not made from such natural ingredients and don’t particularly have any health benefits of eating them, unlike Sanazura.

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