The evolution and integration of fruit and fruit juice in global and Japanese confectionery histories

Abstract

The historical relationships among fruits, fruit juice, and the production of confectionery items is examined from Japanese and global perspectives. Specifically, the global perspective considers the history of Western confectionery while adding a professional perspective. First, the origin of sweetness – historically obtained from honey and fruits – was examined as this is considered the foundation of confectionery. Next, for a Japanese historical perspective, the origins of sweets in Japan was traced from the mythological period to the writings in the Kiki, under the titles Kasojin and “The ancestors of sweets”. For a global historical perspective, the field of Western confectionery was examined and categorized into confiserie, which can be translated as sugar confectionery, glacerie confections. Among these categories, fruit juice was most widely used in confiserie: for example, in Pate de Fruit (a jelly confectionery made with 100% fruit juice) and Guimauve (French-style marshmallow). Similarly, for glacerie (frozen confectionery) items, fruit juice is often used directly to produce a variety of rich-tasting frozen confections. In addition, in the field of patisserie, a new trend referred to as nouvelle patisserie has emerged in which fruit juice plays an important role and is used extensively to produce mousses with a light texture. To supplement these descriptions, sections titled “History of Sugar” and “Footprints of Frozen Sweets” have also been included.