Tansan Senbei (Carbonated-Spring Crackers)
Tansan Senbei (Carbonated Spring Water Crackers)
Image: Wikimedia Commons
Tansan senbei are thin baked crackers, a specialty of hot spring resorts in Hyogo Prefecture, made by adding water from carbonated springs (tansansen) to wheat flour, starch, sugar, and salt. Made without eggs or butter, they are known for their light, crisp texture and simple sweetness. At Arima Onsen in Kita Ward, Kobe, considered their birthplace, a government inspection in 1875 (Meiji 8) found that the carbonated spring water was also suitable for drinking. Crackers that made use of this water were devised, and Mitsumori Honpo (三津森本舗), founded in 1907 (Meiji 40), is known as the original shop. Besides Arima Onsen, they are also made at Takarazuka Onsen and Kinosaki Onsen, where carbonated springs also flow, and in each place they became established as a hot spring souvenir. Tansan senbei shops are dotted around the Arima hot spring town, and at some you can watch craftspeople bake them one at a time on iron plates. There is also a theory that they were based on a baked confection from the Czech spa town of Karlovy Vary, but some points about who originated them remain unclear.
Origin
Arima Onsen has sources of carbonated springs containing carbon dioxide. In 1875 (Meiji 8), an inspection by the Home Ministry's drug testing laboratory (Shiyakujo), established in Osaka, found that this carbonated spring water was also excellent as drinking water. According to an article in the Kobe Shimbun, 三津繁松, the founder of Mitsumori Honpo, was urged by the physician 緒方惟準 (the second son of Ogata Koan) to consider whether an Arima specialty could be incorporated into hospital meals as well. 三津繁松 is said to have then developed, together with Arima shopkeepers, crackers whose dough is kneaded with carbonated water.
History
Mitsumori Honpo was founded in 1907 (Meiji 40) and is known as the original tansan senbei shop. Arima is also where carbonated mineral water was produced in 1901 (Meiji 34), and its carbonated springs have given rise to local specialties. Tansan senbei became a standard hot spring souvenir and came to be made not only at Arima Onsen but also at Takarazuka Onsen and Kinosaki Onsen. In Takarazuka, shops such as 黄金家, said to have been founded in 1897 (Meiji 30), still bake tansan senbei today.
Features
The dough is made by kneading wheat flour, katakuriko (potato starch), sugar, salt, and other ingredients with carbonated spring water, and many shops use no eggs, butter, or food additives. Mitsumori Honpo's crackers are thin, about 9 cm in diameter and about 1 mm thick, with a light texture that seems to melt away in the mouth. At shops that bake by hand, each cracker is baked one at a time on a thick iron plate, and the dough that spills over the edge is scraped off by hand. Slightly jagged edges are a sign that the crackers were baked by hand. There are also cream-filled versions and flavors such as matcha.
Main Ingredients
Food Culture
Since the Meiji period, tansan senbei have been loved as a representative hot spring souvenir of Arima Onsen and Takarazuka Onsen. Long-established shops line Yumotozaka (湯本坂), the main street of the Arima hot spring town, and at some you can sample freshly baked crackers or watch craftspeople baking them by hand.
Famous Shops
三津森本舗 本店
兵庫県神戸市北区有馬町809
The original tansan senbei shop, founded in 1907 (Meiji 40). In its building on Yumotozaka, more than 120 years old, you can watch through glass as craftspeople bake the crackers by hand. There are also affiliated shops elsewhere in the Arima hot spring town. It is about a five-minute walk from Arima Onsen Station on the Kobe Electric Railway.
有馬せんべい本舗
兵庫県神戸市北区有馬町266-10
A shop making traditional hand-baked tansan senbei from wheat flour, sugar, starch, salt, and carbonated spring water. Because craftspeople bake them one at a time, the edges are slightly jagged. Besides plain and cream versions, it offers original tansan senbei in flavors such as maple, black soybean, and matcha.
黄金家
兵庫県宝塚市湯本町9-27
A tansan senbei shop at Takarazuka Onsen said to have been founded in 1897 (Meiji 30). It is located in a corner of Takarazuka Onsen across the 宝来橋 bridge. Its crackers, about 10 cm in diameter, are known for their thin, crisp texture and light flavor. Broken crackers are sometimes sold at a discount.
| 三津森本舗 'Tansan Senbei' (炭酸煎餅) | Tansan senbei baked one at a time with carbonated water and no additives by the original shop. You can enjoy their simple, gentle sweetness and light texture. Prices start at about 550 yen for a box of 16, and a round tin of 34 costs about 1,200 yen. There is also a cream-filled 'Cream Tansan Senbei.' |
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| 有馬せんべい本舗 'Tansansen Senbei' (炭酸泉せんべい) | Hand-baked tansan senbei from Arima Senbei Honpo. Because moisture escapes evenly from the dough around the mold, they are said to turn out crisper than machine-baked crackers. They come in boxes such as a 20-piece box and can be bought at the shop in Arima Onsen or by mail order. |
FAQ
Q. Why are tansan senbei made in Arima and Takarazuka?
A. Because the dough uses carbonated spring water. Arima Onsen, Takarazuka Onsen, and Kinosaki Onsen are all hot spring resorts with carbonated springs and are known as places where tansan senbei are made. Arima Onsen is considered the birthplace, and the crackers were made there using carbonated spring water that was found in the Meiji period to be suitable for drinking.