8 Cherry Blossom Food and Drinks to Try This Spring

Early spring is a very special time of year in Japan, as this is when the cherry trees will come to life with gorgeous blossoms, making parks and gardens look bright and beautiful. Cherry blossom, or ‘sakura’, is a national symbol of Japan and is considered the most loved bloom in the country. The blossoms only last for a couple of weeks, before the petals fall and cover the ground in a stunning sheet of pink and white. These petals, and the leaves of the cherry tree, are used in Japanese cuisine – both in sweet and savoury dishes. Fresh, the petals and leaves are not very flavourful, but when pickled and salted, their floral flavour really emerges. We take a look at some of the ways sakura is used in Japanese food and drink.

Sakura Mochi

A traditional form of wagashi, sakura mochi is a Japanese sweet that incorporates the flavours of sakura into a classic mochi rice cake. The rice cake is filled with red bean paste, and will often be coloured pink. This is then wrapped in a salted cherry blossom leaf for additional flavour, texture and a great aesthetic! You can find a recipe for sakura mochi and other cherry blossom treats in our previous blog!

Sakura Onigiri

The perfect picnic food, onigiri are rice balls shaped into a number of fun shapes, although most traditionally a triangle. Sakura onigiri sees the rice cooked in water that has had cherry blossoms soaking in it, so the flavour of the sakura becomes infused in the water and then the rice. For decoration, colouring, or small bits of cherry blossom or leaf may be included in the design of the rice ball. Such rice can also be used in other similar dishes, such as inarizushi.

Sakura Macarons

While macarons originated as a French cuisine, these sweet bites have become very popular in Japan, and sakura versions are created each spring. There are a few variations of sakura macaron, as the cherry blossom can be added to the top of the macaron meringue as a floral and flavourful decoration, or blossoms can infuse the cream used to make the filling.

Sakura Manju

Manju is a popular type of sweet in Japan, and are balls of steamed dough that have been filled with a sweet bean paste. For sakura manju, salted cherry blossom and leaves may be chopped up and mixed into the sweet bean paste filling. To keep in theme with the pretty pastel pinks of the cherry blossom, the dough may be coloured pink or white to match the colours of the petals or be decorated with a little blossom.

Sakura Sake

With cherry blossom only present on trees for a matter of weeks, both locals and tourists will make the most of the beautiful scenes by enjoying a picnic while viewing the blossoms, known as hanami. As a celebratory time, a glass of sake is commonly enjoyed at these picnics. In the spring, special sakura-flavoured sake will be released, offering a delicate floral aroma and taste to this classic Japanese drink.

Image Credit: City Foodsters

Sakura Kanten

Kanten, otherwise known as agar agar, is a type of gelatin made from seaweed, that is enjoyed as a jelly dessert in Japan. Sakura yokan is a translucent jelly filled with cherry blossom petals and flowers for an aesthetically pleasing dessert that offers delicate floral flavours.

Sakura Cake

Cakes made using fresh whipped cream are particularly popular in Japan, and in springtime, these cakes will be baked with a sakura twist! Salted sakura petals will be baked into the cake itself, and the cream will have been infused with sakura flowers. In terms of decoration, the icing or cream will be given a pink tint, and cherry blossoms will be elegantly placed atop the cake.

Sakura Tea

Two types of sakura tea are available; sakura tea and sakura-yu. Sakura tea is a type of green tea that contains dried cherry blossom petals. Sakura-yu is simply pickled cherry blossoms that are steeped in hot water. This creates a hot beverage with delicate floral and salty flavours.

If you want more Japanese food inspiration, check out the wide range of ingredients, snacks and sweets from Japan available at our Japanese supermarket!