Spring is slowly approaching and with it the cherry blossom season, which is so popular in Japan. The white-pink blossom of the cherry trees, called sakura in Japan, stands for new beginnings and, of course, beauty, but also for transience and impermanence. As beautiful as the sight was maybe just a few days ago, the blossoms have already withered away again. Today we want to introduce you to special products that look flowery and taste good for a long time - at least until you have eaten them. The beauty and transience of the Japanese cherry blossom is also reflected in the food.
If you like it savoury
As an island nation surrounded by seawater, Japan is home to a spice used in everyday cooking: salt. Would you have thought that cherry blossom and sea salt work perfectly together to flavour dishes in a balanced way? The subtle sweetness of cherry blossom not only goes well with salads, but also with a spicy Japanese curry, for example. For rice dishes of all kinds, cherry blossom salt is perfect for creating your own furikake mix. Together with sesame seeds, kombu pieces and shiso leaves, you can experience a small taste explosion. Salted cherry blossoms soaked in vinegar are even more intense and can even serve as a tea base.
For sweet palates
Of course, salted cherry blossoms are also popular for baking. Have you ever baked sakura biscuits? Just take a classic biscuit recipe and change it a bit - the cherry blossom salt will change the taste pleasantly. Desserts such as biscuits, mochis or cakes can of course also be decorated excellently if you have fresh blossoms. Real sakura lovers even spread the blossoms on their bread as a jam preparation.
Cherry blossom in a jar
Hanami means to look at blossoms. This refers to the tradition of sitting on benches or picnic blankets to admire the blossoms on the trees in spring and, of course, taking lots of photos. But you won't only find blossoms on the tree. A very special sakura liqueur from Kitaoka Honten contains a floating flower that is not only beautiful to look at, but also releases its flavour sip by sip after you have poured yourself a glass of the sweet liqueur. Speaking of drinking: the pink bottle also makes a great gift.
MYCONBINI tip: If you like pink in general and need a bit of luck for this year, the Meneki-Neko waving cat might be just the thing for you. It can also be used as a box to collect money for a trip to Japan to experience the Hanami live.
