Natsumikan Gashi (Candied Natsumikan Peel)
Natsumikan Gashi (Candied Natsumikan Peel)
Natsumikan Gashi is a local confection made mainly in Hagi City by simmering the peel of natsumikan (summer orange) in sugar. The thick peel is cut into thin strips and boiled, with the cooking water discarded, to soften its bitterness; sugar is then added in several batches, and the peel is simmered until the white part becomes translucent. Finally, it is coated with granulated sugar and dried, producing a confection that combines gentle bitterness with sweetness. The natsumikan is a citrus fruit that originated in Ohibi (大日比) in Senzaki, Nagato City, and in the Meiji era its cultivation spread in Hagi to help former samurai families (shizoku) who had lost their stipends. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries' 'Uchi no Kyodo Ryori' (Our Local Cuisine), it was a precious snack in times when sweets were scarce, and it is still made at home in Hagi today. Besides the sugar-simmered peel, Hagi confectioners also make 'Natsumikan Maruzuke,' in which the peel is filled with white yokan (sweet bean jelly), and these are popular as Hagi souvenirs.
Origin
The original natsumikan tree stands in Ohibi, Senzaki, Nagato City. According to tradition, in the 18th century, around the middle of the Edo period, Nishimoto Cho picked up a fruit that had washed ashore on the beach and sowed its seeds. This original tree was designated a national Historic Site and Natural Monument in 1927 (Showa 2). The fruit was brought to Hagi at the beginning of the Bunka era (1804–1818) and is said to have been used at first as a substitute for yuzu. People are said to have begun eating the fruit harvested in summer around the end of the Edo period (Bakumatsu).
History
In 1863 (Bunkyu 3), the domain government moved from Hagi to Yamaguchi, and after the Meiji Restoration the former samurai families lost their stipends (salaries), forcing the samurai of Hagi into hard lives. In 1876 (Meiji 9), Obata Takamasa, a former retainer of the Hagi Domain, founded 'Taikyusha' (耐久社), an association to provide livelihoods for former samurai (shizoku jusan); it planted natsumikan in samurai residences that stood all but empty and distributed seedlings. By 1889 (Meiji 22), income from natsumikan had grown to exceed the finances of Hagi. Around 1880, 光國本店 (Mitsukuni Honten) of Hagi is said to have begun making a confection of peel simmered in syrup.
Features
Natsumikan has thick peel with a lot of white pith, and it is this peel that is used for the confection. The peel is cut into strips about 1 cm wide, boiled until soft, then soaked overnight in changed water to soften its bitterness. Sugar amounting to between 80 percent of the peel's weight and the same weight as the peel is added in several batches, and the peel is simmered over low heat until the white part becomes translucent. It is drained of syrup, cooled, coated with granulated sugar and dried, and then it is ready.
Main Ingredients
Food Culture
A simple homemade snack long made in Hagi households around April to June, the natsumikan harvest season. According to Hagi City, the town was so full of the scent of natsumikan that the Crown Prince (later Emperor Showa), who visited Hagi in Taisho 15 (1926), remarked, 'Has perfume been sprinkled in this town?'
Famous Shops
光國本店
山口県萩市熊谷町41
A long-established Hagi shop specializing in natsumikan confections, said to have been founded in 1858 (Ansei 5). Its 'Hagi no Kaori' (萩乃薫), made since around 1880, is a confection of natsumikan peel cut into thin strips and simmered in syrup; bagged versions start from about 648 yen. In October and November, 'Aogiri' (青切り), made with young fruit, is said to be added to the lineup.
| Natsumikan Maruzuke (光國本店) | The signature confection of 光國本店 (Mitsukuni Honten): natsumikan peel simmered in syrup and filled with white yokan. It lets you enjoy the gentle bitterness of the peel and the sweetness of the yokan at once. A travel guide lists it at about 1,458 yen, and it is said to sometimes sell out during the tourist season. |
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FAQ
Q. Has the natsumikan always been called 'natsumikan'?
A. When it first appeared in Ohibi, Nagato City, it was called names such as 'daidai,' 'natsu-daidai' and 'natsukan.' The name is said to come from the fruit becoming ready to eat in the summer of the following year, after passing the winter. The name 'natsumikan' (summer mikan) is said to have spread as a product name in the Meiji era on the advice of an Osaka broker.