Manju
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Manju (饅頭, まんじゅう) is a famous confectionery in Japan. There are many varieties. Most have an outside made from flour, rice powder and buckwheat in where the inside is made with an (bean jam). The an is wrapped around with the outside and shaped in an oval. The bean paste is made from boiled beans and sugar. They are boiled together again and kneaded. There are several varieties of bean paste including koshian, tsubuan, tsubushian. Bean paste is used in most parts of Japanese-style confectionery.
Varieties
There are great numbers of manju's. There are particular flavors that we can eat anywhere. For example, macha(green tea) manju's are well known. Mainly, the outside of the manju has a green tea flavor and is colored green. There are also manju's that have different flavors in the inside. Also, in some places manju's are peculiarities of the region. Dougo manju's could be an example for this. There is a famous place in Japan called Dougo where it has hot springs. The manju here has an ordinary taste but it has a different name because it is a peculiarity.
The History
A famous premier of the past believed that if they killed a man and gave the head to god, they would win in a war. They put lamb chops and pork in the skin of the manju and substituted that of a dead man. Manju was a type of mochi(蒸餅）) that was descend for a long time. It was called mantou but changed to manju when it came in to Japan. In 1341, a Japanese envoy that came back from China brought back these manju's with him and started to sell it as Nara-manju. It is said that this became the beginning of manju's. Since then, it has been eaten for over 700 years by all kinds of Japanese citizens. Now, you can find it in any Japanese sweet shop. Being able to buy it in low price is another reason why manju's have been famous and loved by Japanese people for a long time.