The season of sweet potatoes has come!

Hi everyone. This summer was hotter and longer than ever, but since last week the temperature has gradually begun to drop and we can sleep without air conditioning these days.  Ah, finally!!

Yesterday I really felt that autumn has come when I found beautiful satsuma-imo (sweet potatoes)　sold at a nearby vegetable store. The vivid red skin tinged with purple drew attention of many shoppers, including myself, and I could not pass by without getting one bag.
 
Look what I got. It is Beniazauma, a kind of sweet potato produced mainly in the Kanto area, and very sweet and tasty.
  

Satsuma-imo is a plant native to South America and is believed to be brought to Japan via China in the 17th century. Easy to grow, it was encouraged to cultivate as a counterpart against famine. Nowadays, it is grown in many parts of the country, but as the name indicates (Satsuma is the ancient name of Kagoshima Prefecture, and imo is potatoes), about 40 percent of satsuma-imo cropped in Japan is from Kagoshima, southernmost area of Kyushu Island.

There are so many types of sweets using satsuma-imo, and I'll introduce you some goodies that I recently ate. 

At this time of year many bakeries start baking their original bread and pastry with this seasonal ingredient, like the photo below. This is "Naruto Kintoki Bread," containing diced naruto-kintoki (a kind of sweet potato) grown in Naruto, Tokushima Prefecture. Natural sweetness of the satsuma-imo goes very well with the fluffy bread sprinkled with sesames. I really liked it!

When I think of sweets using sweet potato, what comes uppermost is this "imo-yokan" of Funawa, old confectioner established in 1905 in Asakusa, Tokyo. I've had it so many times and I always find it good.

The making process is very simple. It includes mushing steamed satsuma-imo, adding sugar and a little bit of salt, mixing it well, putting it in a square mold and chill it. That's all! No synthetic additives such as artificial colors and preservatives are used.

You can easily imagine what it tastes like, can't you? Nothing surprising, but if you like sweet potatoes, it will never disappoint you. Actually, its simple flavor has been long loved by people of all generations. Available at major department stores and airports, not only in autumn but throughout the year.

At last I'll show you my favorite snack food "imo-kenpi," candied strips of satsuma-imo. I have loved it since I was a small child. You can buy it almost anywhere for only  100-200 yen for a bag. In the photo below, they may look like McDonald's french fries, but actually it is totally different. Coated with sugar, imo-kenpi is very hard, crunchy and addictive. Once I start eating, I can never stop, knowing it is relatively high in calories (sigh...).

If you feel like making some goodies at home, I'll recommend you daigaku-imo, literally meaning university potatoes. I heard that this snack goes by this strange name because it was very popular among university students in Tokyo when it was invented in the Taisho Era (1912-1926).  Here's the youtube video that shows how to make it. Enjoy!

 ここからは日本語で。
From here I'll write in Japanese for Japanese learners.

日本はようやく秋らしくなってきました。秋と言えば、サツマイモ。先日近くの店でサツマイモが売られているのを見ました。

日本 　にほん　Japan
ようやく　　finally
秋　あき　　autumn
先日　せんじつ　　the other day
近く　　ちかく　nearby

早速買って食べてみましたよ！私が買ったのは関東地方でよく採れるベニアズマという品種。小さいのですが、甘くておいしいです。

早速　　さっそく　immediately
関東地方　　かんとうちよう　　Kanto area
採れる　　とれる　　can be cropped
品種　　ひんしゅ　　kind
甘い　　あまい　　sweet

サツマイモを使った料理はたくさんあるのですが、今日は最近私が食べたものをいくつかご紹介します。

最近　　さいきん　recently
いくつか　some
紹介　　しょうかい　to introduce


まずは「鳴門金時ブレッド」。角切りの鳴門金時（徳島県で取れるサツマイモ）がたくさん入っているパンです。とてもおいしかったですよ。

まず　first of all
鳴門金時　なるときんとき　kind of sweet potato　
ブレッド　　bread
角切り　　かくぎり　　diced
徳島県　　とくしまけん　　Tokushima Prefecture
パン　　bread

それから、舟和のいもようかん。いもをふかして、つぶして、砂糖と塩を混ぜて、型に入れて固めた素朴なお菓子です。昔からよく食べていました。

舟和　　ふなわ　　name of the confectioner
ようかん　a kind of Japanese dessert
ふかす　　to steam
つぶす　　to mush
砂糖　　さとう　　sugar
塩　　しお　　sult
混ぜる　　まぜる　　to mix
型　　かた　　mold
固める　　かためる   make it firm
素朴　　そぼく　　simple
昔　　むかし　　long time ago

最後にいもけんぴ。細く切ったサツマイモを油で揚げてから砂糖で表面をコーティングしたお菓子です。子供のころから私が大好きなお菓子です。スーパーやコンビニで買うことができます。値段は一袋100～200円。フライドポテトみたいに見えますが、もっと固くて、カリカリしています。一度食べたら、止まらない！

最後　　さいご　　at last
細く切る　　ほそく　きる　to cut into thin and long strips
油　　あぶら　　oil
揚げる　　あげる　to deep fry
表面　　ひょうめん　　surface
コーティング　　to coat
子供　　こども　　child
お菓子　　おかし　sweet
スーパー　　supermarket
コンビニ　convenience store
値段　 ねだん　　price
一袋　　ひとふくろ　　a bag
固い　　かたい　　hard
カリカリ　　crispy

もしサツマイモを使ったお菓子をうちで作ってみたかったら、「大学いも」はどうですか？簡単に作れておいしいですよ。作り方はYouTubeでチェックしてね。

大学　　だいがく　　university
簡単に　　かんたんに　　easily
作り方　　つくりかた　　how to make