Cultural Snapshots

Tokoroten: Japan’s Traditional Summer Jelly Noodles

Food and Drink

A look at tokoroten, the classic summer Japanese jelly treat.
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Tokoroten

Tokoroten is a traditional summer jelly treat. It is made by heating tengusa seaweed until it dissolves, which is then chilled to form jelly. This is placed into a box with a grid bottom and a plunger is used to force the jelly through to produce long strips like noodles. Served chilled, it is easy to eat even when the heat has sapped one’s appetite. The topping varies by region, but is typically a mix of vinegar, soy sauce and mirin, or brown sugar syrup​.

The snack has been eaten in Japan since the Heian period (794–1185), and the poet Matsuo Bashō even wrote a haiku about it.

The tentsuki utensil used to make tokoroten strips. (© Pixta)
The tentsuki utensil used to make tokoroten strips. (© Pixta)

Tokoroten. (© Pixta)
Tokoroten. (© Pixta)

(Originally written in English. Banner photo: A bowl of tokoroten. © Pixta)

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