Rakugan
rakugan
A dry, pressed sugar candy, molded and hardened rather than baked or steamed, and a classic example of wagashi's higashi tier.
Rakugan (落雁) is made by pressing a sugar mixture into a mold and letting it harden, rather than baking, steaming, or kneading it, placing it in wagashi’s uchimono (pressed) production category. Its low moisture content also makes it a classic example of higashi, wagashi’s driest and most shelf-stable moisture tier, generally lasting weeks to months without refrigeration. Kanazawa, Kyoto, and Matsue are especially well known for rakugan, and Morihachi, a Kanazawa maker, has produced the same Choseiden rakugan recipe since 1625.