, also spelled ''kompeitō'', is a type of Japanese sugar candy. It takes the form of a small sphere with a bumpy surface, and comes in a variety of colors and flavors.

Etymology

The word comes from the Portuguese word ('' comfit''), which is a type of sugar candy. The characters (lit. "golden flat sugar") are selected mostly for their phonetic value and can also be written or .

History

The technique for producing sugar candy was introduced to Japan in the early 16th century by Portuguese traders. The infrastructure and refining technology of sugar had not yet been established in Japan. As uses a lot of sugar, it was very rare and expensive as a result. In 1569,

Luís Fróis Luís Fróis (1532 – 8 July 1597) was a Portuguese missionary who worked in Asia during the second half of the 16th century. While in Japan in 1582, he witnessed the attack on Honnō-ji, a Buddhist temple that ended in the death of Oda Nobuna ...

, a Portuguese missionary, presented a glass flask of to

Oda Nobunaga was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period. He is regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. Nobunaga was head of the very powerful Oda clan, and launched a war against other ''daimyō'' to unify ...

in order to obtain the permit for mission work of Christianity. By the Meiji period, had already been culturally prescribed as one of the standards of Japanese sweets—the character

Sugar Plum Fairy ''The Nutcracker'' ( rus, Щелкунчик, Shchelkunchik, links=no ) is an 1892 two-act ballet (""; russian: балет-феерия, link=no, ), originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaiko ...

in '' The Nutcracker'' was translated into (, "Fairy of ").

Production

''Konpeitō'' is usually in diameter and is produced by repeatedly coating a sugar syrup over a core consisting of a grain of coarse sugar. Originally, the core was a

poppy seed Poppy seed is an oilseed obtained from the opium poppy (''Papaver somniferum''). The tiny, kidney-shaped seeds have been harvested from dried seed pods by various civilizations for thousands of years. It is still widely used in many countries, ...

. The process is somewhat similar to the '' dragée'' process, except the candies are produced by being ladled with sugar syrup and rotated slowly in a large heated gong-shaped tub (''dora''). Each grain of the core sugar grows over the course of several days with the continued rotating, heating, and application of syrup, becoming a ball covered with tiny bulges. It usually takes 7–13 days to make ''konpeitō'' and they are still crafted by artisans today.

Other uses

The Japanese Ministry of Defense's Emergency Food Ration tins and the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force's Combat Ration tins both contain ''konpeito'' candies, in addition to

hard tack Hardtack (or hard tack) is a simple type of dense biscuit or cracker made from flour, water, and sometimes salt. Hardtack is inexpensive and long-lasting. It is used for sustenance in the absence of perishable foods, commonly during long sea voy ...

bread/biscuits and other food items. While the candies aid in the calorie content necessary for activities, it also helps promote the creation of saliva to make it easier to eat the dry bread. According to the Ministry of Defense's specifications, "Each white emergency ration bag will contain 150g of small dry bread, with 8 whites, 3 reds, 2 yellows, 2 greens as standard, amounting to 15g or more to be put in the bag.” It is thought that providing the 'colorful and enjoyable' ''Konpeito'' will also reduce the stress that would be experienced at times during a disaster. ''Konpeito'' is often used for celebrations such as marriage and childbirth, in elaborate candy boxes called ''bonbonniere'' (), from the French , meaning ''candy box''. It is given as a gift for prayers at shrines and temples. The practice of giving bonbonniere dates back to the commemoration ceremony of the Meiji Constitution in 1889 and has since been thought to be a symbol of good luck. The Japanese Imperial Family has used these ''

Onshino Konpeitō or are small boxes of ''konpeitō , also spelled ''kompeitō'', is a type of Japanese sugar candy. It takes the form of a small sphere with a bumpy surface, and comes in a variety of colors and flavors. Etymology The word comes from the Po ...

'' as the official ‘Welcome’ gift continuously for over 130 years.

In popular culture

The Star Bits in '' Super Mario Galaxy'' and its sequel, the Gratitude Crystals and Star Fragments in '' The Legend of Zelda'' series, the Star Fragments in '' Animal Crossing'' as well as Minior, Max Revives (and to a lesser extent, Revives), Cosmog's star candies from the ''

Pokémon (an abbreviation for in Japan) is a Japanese media franchise managed by The Pokémon Company, founded by Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures (company), Creatures, the owners of the trademark and copyright of the franchise. In terms of ...

'' series, and EXP Star Jellies in Cookie Run: Kingdom are all based on these candies. The

susuwatari Susuwatari ( ja, ススワタリ, ; "wandering soot"), also called Makkuro kurosuke (; "makkuro" meaning "pitch black", "kuro" meaning "black" and "-suke" being a common ending for boys names), is the name of a fictitious sprite that was devised ...

from Studio Ghibli films such as Spirited Away are also shown to eat konpeitō. '' Super Mario RPG'' also features it as an attack item that was localized as "Rock Candy".Super Mario Wiki: Rock Candy
/ref> The candies also featured in an episode of the children's anime '' Hamtaro'', referred to as "diamonds of sugar" in the English dub.

References