About Kanten 寒天について
Did you know that kanten, also commonly known as agar (or agar-agar), was initially discovered in Japan?
It is a Japanese traditional product with about 400 years of history. Kanten is an essential ingredient for making Japanese sweets (wagashi) as a coagulant agent.
It is a Japanese traditional product with about 400 years of history. Kanten is an essential ingredient for making Japanese sweets (wagashi) as a coagulant agent.
Kanten is a 100% plant-based gelatin substitute made from red seaweed. It consists of 80% dietary fibre. Dietary fibre itself contains zero calories. Dietary fibre supports regular bowel movement, helping the body to excrete 75% of waste in the body, so it’s often used in Japanese diets promoting weight loss, and the natural prevention of diabetes.
It’s ideal for beauty and detoxification!
Since kanten is made from red seaweed – most notably Tengusa (Gelidiaceae) and Ogonori (Gracilaria), it’s perfect for vegetarians and vegans.
Kanten has three different shapes; Kanten stick (角寒天), Kanten noodles (糸寒天) and Kanten powder (粉寒天）
The photos were taken in cold and dry winter in Nagano Japan, where Kanten is made individually by hands.