I’ve mentioned kurikinton, the little sand-coloured sugary chestnut parcels, before, in my review of the Look chocolates based on the sweet. This time I’ve got the real thing, made by the Tokyo-based company Minamoto Kitchoan and presented in a simple yet elegant bamboo box wrapped in a paper sleeve.
Each piece is about the size of a large grape and, similar to Chinese dumplings, is marked by small creases where it has been pressed into shape. They do not give off much scent but sniffing them you can detect a faint syrupy aroma of vanilla and boiled chestnut.
The consistency resembles a stiff cookie dough, but without the slight oiliness that would be produced by the butter. While not sticky to the touch, it quickly forms a delightfully sticky paste in the mouth, with a little graininess due to the flecks of dark brown chestnut skin and fragments of pale golden flesh. They have the thick richness of a good quality peanut butter but, as I stated before, are not at all oily and may even crumble a little when you bite into them.
Consisting simply of chestnuts, which are naturally sweet, and sugar, kurikinton are of course rather saccharine. However, the earthy and mild chestnut flavour acts well to moderate the concentrated sucre of refined sugar so the sweetness is not cloying, though combined with the dense texture you wouldn’t have to eat many of these before they began to get sickly.
Although these little parcels look small, they feel fairly heavy in the hand and one can be quite filling. Therefore I think it’s best to eat them alone, as opposed to after a meal, so that you can appreciate them in all their dense, sweet glory, without finding them stodgy. Being a popular seasonal treat, kurikinton are produced by many major Japanese confectionery companies, and while the basic recipe should be universal, size, weight and sweetness may vary, so it’s worth shopping around to find the brand that best suits your tastes.
NB: Kurikinton also refers to a lumpy, sticky yellow paste of mashed chestnuts and sugar eaten as part of New Year’s cuisine, so don’t be confused if you come across this.
Minamoto Kitchoan Kurikinton (4 pcs)
7/10