Kesen dango

It is a Japanese confectionery with a smooth texture that spreads slightly sweet red bean dumplings with the scent of kesen. A mixture of glutinous rice flour and red bean paste is steamed into dumpling dough, and wrapped between two lightly steamed kesen leaves. The leaves before steaming have a very faint scent, but when steamed, they have a lighter and more refreshing scent than cinnamon, like mixed with citrus fruits, and that is transferred to dumplings. Due to the heat peculiar to Kagoshima, they quickly get damaged, so it was found that the leaves of kesen trees that were familiar at that time had a sterilizing effect, and it is said that kesen dango began when leaves were attached to dumplings. Kesen tree is a tree of the genus Nikkei, commonly called Nikke or Cinnamon, that grows in regions with warm climates throughout the year, and was planted in gardens in homes everywhere in Kagoshima prefecture in the past.