カラフルでかわいらしい渦巻ういろColorful and adorable Uzumaki Uiro
徳島の伝統的な蒸し菓子「阿波ういろ」は、名古屋、山口とならぶ日本三大ういろの一つ。中でも、ふくやの渦巻ういろは鳴門の渦潮に見立てたオリジナル。創業以来製法は変えず、茶・白・ピンク色の生地を重ねて、クルクルと巻いて作られています。その姿はかわいらしく、店頭でも一段と目を引く商品です。ういろのモチモチとした食感を生み出すためには餡の微妙な調整が必要で、材料が極めてシンプルなため、ごまかしがききません。もっちりとしているけれども歯切れは良いという、相反する難題にも職人の技できっちり答えています。地元の学生も時々買っていくそうで理由を聞くと、おばあちゃんの家でおやつに食べていたとのこと。こうした何げない日常が和菓子を通して、かけがえのない思い出へとつながっていくのも、変わらずそこにあり続けるからですね。
Tokushima's traditional steamed cake "Awa uiro" is one of the top three uiros in Japan. The other two being from Nagoya and Yamaguchi. Among these, Fukuya sells one-of-a-kind Uzumaki Uiro that bears similarity to the whirlpools of Naruto. This pattern is created by rolling layered brown/white/pink dough, a method that has not changed since the shop was established. This pattern looks pretty and looks even more eye-catching at the shop front. For being able to create chewy texture of uiros, the dough needs to be subtly regulated. There can be no shortcuts owing to the simple ingredients used. The difficult task of creating the conflicting chewy yet crispy texture speaks about the skill of the confectioner. At times, one can find local students buying this delicacy as it reminds them of snacks served by their grandmothers. This quality of casual everyday wagashi (traditional Japanese confectionery) being able to transport you back to your cherished memories can be attributed to the unwillingness of the makers to digress from tradition.
