Monaka

Monaka (最中) pairs a thin, crisp wafer shell with a separately prepared anko filling, assembled rather than baked or steamed together. The wafer itself is made by steaming glutinous rice, drying it, grinding it to powder, and baking that powder in a mold, a technique distinct from any other wagashi category. Its name traces to saichu no tsuki (最中の月, “the moon at its fullest”), a phrase from a Heian-period waka poem, since the round, white wafer resembled a harvest moon closely enough that Edo-period customers made the connection; the original name, monaka no tsuki, was later shortened once molds moved beyond the traditional round shape.