Imo Kenpi (Candied Sweet Potato Sticks)
Imo Kenpi (Candied Sweet Potato Sticks of Kochi)
Image: Wikimedia Commons
Imo Kenpi is a traditional confection of Kochi Prefecture made by deep-frying thin sticks of sweet potato and coating them in sugar syrup. It is characterized by a crunchy texture and the simple sweetness of sweet potato. Kochi has a wheat-flour confection called 'kenpi,' said to date back to the Heian period, and because of the similar shape, the sweet potato version is said to have come to be called 'imo kenpi' (imo meaning potato). After sweet potatoes arrived from Satsuma in the mid-Edo period, they were widely grown because they withstood typhoons and suited Tosa's climate. The confection of fried potatoes sprinkled with sugar, which was expensive at the time, is said to have been a treat for celebrations. Many shops in Kochi Prefecture make imo kenpi, and it is easy to buy at roadside stations (michi-no-eki) and supermarkets. 澁谷食品 (Shibuya Shokuhin), headquartered in Hidaka Village, is said to account for about half of Japan's imo kenpi market. With a growing range of flavors such as shio-kenpi (salted kenpi) and sesame, it has become a souvenir confection that represents the prefecture.
Origin
According to materials from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Tosa had a confection called 'kenpi,' made by mixing wheat flour into a syrup of boiled-down sugar, kneading it, cutting it into thin sticks, and baking them. It is said to appear in the Tosa Nikki (Tosa Diary) and is reported to have been eaten since the Heian period. In the mid-Edo period, sweet potatoes arrived from Satsuma, giving rise to a confection of thinly cut, fried sweet potatoes sprinkled with sugar. Because its shape resembled kenpi, it is said to have come to be called imo kenpi.
History
Imo kenpi is said to have first been sold in Aki City, where large amounts of a sweet potato variety called Koganesengan were grown as a raw material for starch. Later, shops making imo kenpi increased across the prefecture, and it became established as a tea snack, gift, and souvenir. 澁谷食品 (Shibuya Shokuhin) in Hidaka Village is said to hold about 50 percent of the national imo kenpi market, and in 2005 it opened the Hidaka main store of 芋屋金次郎 (Imoya Kinjiro), a shop specializing in sweet potato confections.
Features
In the traditional method, white-fleshed Koganesengan sweet potatoes are cut into long, thin sticks like hyoshigi (wooden clappers), fried in oil, and coated with sugar. Today, varieties such as Tosabeni, Satsuma Kintoki, and purple sweet potato are also used, and coating them in syrup made by melting sugar has become the main method. As the syrup on the surface hardens, it gives the sticks a crunchy, fairly hard texture. There is a wide variety of flavors, including sesame, salt, chocolate, and seasonal limited editions.
Main Ingredients
Food Culture
In Kochi, imo kenpi is eaten year-round as a tea snack and is also chosen as a gift or souvenir. Many shops in the prefecture make it, and besides being sold at roadside stations (michi-no-eki) and supermarkets, there are also specialty shops that sell it freshly fried. At Hirome Market in central Kochi City, imo kenpi in a variety of flavors is also sold.
Famous Shops
芋屋金次郎 日高本店
高知県高岡郡日高村本郷573-1
The main store of the sweet potato confectionery shop opened in 2005 by 澁谷食品 (Shibuya Shokuhin), a major imo kenpi maker. It is about a 3-minute walk from Kusaka Station on the JR Dosan Line. Freshly fried imo kenpi is available at the shop, and many visitors are said to come specifically for it.
芋屋金次郎 卸団地店
高知県高知市南久保14-25
A 芋屋金次郎 (Imoya Kinjiro) store in Kochi City that always carries at least six kinds of imo kenpi. You can buy imo kenpi fried that day in the attached workshop, and freshly fried imo kenpi (120 g) is listed at 500 yen. Prices are subject to change.
View details →四万十郷 水車亭
高知県高岡郡四万十町古市町
A shop run directly by imo kenpi maker 南国製菓 (Nankoku Seika); 水車亭 (Mizuguruma-ya) is the company's trade name. It is known for its 'shio-kenpi' made with salt from Muroto deep ocean water, which is said to have taken five years to perfect. It is about a 10- to 15-minute walk from JR Kubokawa Station.
View details →黒潮物産（ひろめ市場内）
高知県高知市帯屋町2丁目3-1 ひろめ市場内
A shop in Hirome Market, a food-stall hall in central Kochi City, selling imo kenpi handmade using deep ocean water. There are more than eight flavors, including yuzu, Shimanto aonori (green laver), black sesame, and coffee, and 150 g bags are listed from 350 yen. Prices are subject to change.
View details →| Imo Kenpi (まるごと高知) | まるごと高知 (Marugoto Kochi), Kochi Prefecture's antenna shop in Ginza, Tokyo (東京都中央区銀座1-3-13), also carries imo kenpi, including shio-kenpi. Even without visiting Kochi, you can buy imo kenpi made by manufacturers in the prefecture. |
|---|
FAQ
Q. Are 'kenpi' and 'imo kenpi' different confections?
A. Yes, they are different confections. Kenpi is an old Kochi confection made by mixing wheat flour into a syrup of boiled-down sugar, kneading it, cutting it into thin sticks, and baking them. As its alternative written form 堅干 (literally 'hard-dried') suggests, it is characterized by a hard bite. Imo kenpi is made by frying sweet potatoes and coating them in syrup, and is said to have been given this name because of its similar shape.
Q. Where does the name 'kenpi' come from?
A. There are several theories. One holds that it derives from 'kenpei' (巻餅), a long, thin confection introduced in the Asuka and Nara periods. Another holds that it comes from 'keihin' (巻餅), introduced from Ming China in the Muromachi period; both theories are presented in materials from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.