Habutae Kurumi

　Habutae Mochi is one of Fukui’s most famous traditional sweets. Whilst it is a type of gyuhi—made from mochi flour mixed with sugar and starch syrup—Habutae Mochi is renowned for embodying the smooth texture of habutae silk, which is woven by interlacing warp and weft threads.

　It is said that Habutae Mochi was created in the early 20th century, when the production of Habutae silk flourished in Fukui. Whilst various traditional confectioners sell their own versions, the Habutae Kurumi from Kinkado Hayakawa has recently become particularly popular. This sweet features walnuts kneaded into the Habutae Mochi, which is then wrapped in choux pastry. As it has a short shelf life of just five days, although it can be ordered online, it is best to buy it locally if possible. Although the main shop is in Katsuyama City, it was also on sale exclusively on Saturdays at the ‘Tsuruga Kawatodo’ souvenir shop in front of Tsuruga Station. There are also many other varieties of Habutae Mochi from different confectioners, so it might be worth trying a few to compare.