Chapter 19 Chapter VII

After that, Kurita gave full play to his explosive power. Although there are various types of wagashi, they can be roughly divided into three types.What are the three? "I know!" "Mr. Kurita, please answer!" "Raw fruit, semi-raw fruit, and dried fruit, these three categories are classified according to their water content." After hearing Kurita's concise, powerful and correct answer, the host widened his eyes and raised his voice, saying, "Correct answer...!" The audience applauded. "The amount of water content is an important key to making food. In terms of wagashi, those with a water content of more than 40% are called 'raw fruits', and those with a water content of less than 10% are called 'dried fruits'. The ones in between are called 'half fruit', Kurita-san, you are amazing..."

Kurita didn't respond. To a person who actually works with wagashi, this knowledge is basically common sense. The host raised his hand and continued, "—then, the next question!" Yokan is a dish from China, but it is completely different from the yokan that everyone eats in Japan today.Yokan originally refers to hot soup. What ingredients are added to the hot soup? "I know! Mutton!" "Correct answer! Kurita-san, another quick answer!" The host showed a puzzled expression, blinked his eyes and continued: "Yaokan is a traditional Chinese dish since ancient times. It is a soup made from mutton. That is to say, yokan is a kind of soup. This is different from what is used in Japan today. Refers to yokan which is a completely different thing."

Kurita turned his head inadvertently while thinking, "It's really far-fetched to say that the soup is wagashi." Turning his head, Kurita found that Aoi was looking at him with a smile on his cheek, and couldn't help but feel embarrassed. The host continued eloquently: "As for why this yokan evolved into the yokan it is today, there are different opinions. Some people say that it was a monk who brought in yokan dishes, but because monks can't eat meat, they used red beans to serve it. There is also another saying that when a steamed cake called 'Lamb Liver Cake' came in, Chinese characters were mistakenly written and turned into yokan. After all, it was an ancient thing, so why the truth is unknown Yes. The history of food is really interesting.”

The host did not write much about the untestable part of the truth, and continued to read the next question, while Kurita answered one question after another. In the Edo period, Jine was invented in Kyoto. What was it called at that time? "Silver Elephant!" "Mr. Kurita, you got it right again! Because the shape is similar to the part of the Japanese sword, it was originally called the silver tsuba in Kyoto. It is said that when it was introduced to Edo, the name changed from the silver tsuba to the gold tsuba." Ohagi and botan mochi are almost the same kind of wagashi, and there are various theories as to why they are divided into two names.One of the sayings is that it is called "peony mochi" when eaten in spring, and "ohagi" when eaten in autumn.So, what is it called when you taste it in winter?

"North window!" "Correct answer! Mr. Kurita, you are amazing! You use glutinous rice when making omihagi, but because you don't need to pound it, and the Japanese pronunciation of 'no pounding' is very similar to 'I don't know the moon', so it is based on word play. Hence the name 'North Window'. It means that the moon cannot be seen from the north window on winter nights—how elegant. Another question!" May I ask what is the name of the peony cake when you taste it in summer? "Night boat!" "Correct answer again! Same as the question just now, the pronunciation of 'not smashing' has been changed into another meaning, that is, 'I don't know how to arrive'. It means that because the night is too dark, the ship has already arrived. Arrived but didn’t know.”

After that, Kurita answered one after another, and the atmosphere of the quiz contest really heated up.How long can Kurita's carefree attack last? Kurita gave the correct answer one question after another, leaving the opponent with no chance.He had no intention of asking for mercy. Not long after, the president of the Wagashi Research Institute, who served as the moderator, yelled almost self-defeating: "Congratulations for answering ten questions correctly! Mr. Kurita, you are an out-and-out winner, congratulations..." There was a loud cheer all around. Amid applause and applause from the audience, Kurita turned to face the fake contestant, smiled maliciously and said, "How? I am a contestant who can stir up the atmosphere, right?"

With a happy mood, Kurita took the prize while watching the fake contestant gritted his teeth.