When hearing Osaka, many people will imagine Okonomiyaki or Takoyaki, a local’s specialty with savory and salty flavor. But what about sweet flavors?
Tsuki Gesho (月化粧) is a famous sweet souvenir from Osaka. The great thing for Muslims visiting Osaka is that this sweet is free from haram ingredients.
We are going to focus on this souvenir today to help you decide whether to buy the souvenir or not.
What is Tsuki Gesho?
Tsuki Gesho means “Moon with make-up”, because the shape of the sweet reminds everyone of a full moon shape. With silky surface, the sweet is named as such.
The sweet is relatively new, with the company establisehed only in 1985. The sweet is made from the very best ingredients from all over Japan, and they are carefully made into this amazing sweet.
Tsuki Gesho is made from the concept of Manju, Japanese traditional sweet. With the idea of making them into a sweet that can be widely acceppted, regardless the age of consumers, they use butter and cream to add more Western flavor.
How is the sweet?
Tsuki Gesho has two layers, sponge and filling. Sponge is moist and not too fluffy, with creamy sweet filling inside. This filling is made from green soybeans and condensed milk!
With butter flavor, it is a perfect accompaniment for your coffee time. As the concept of Tsuki Gesho is Manju Japanese sweet, green tea is also a great choice.
Credit: https://tsukigesho.com/
Tsuki Gesho can be warmed up to enjoy in different styles. Use Microwave for 15 minutes to get moister texture, or put them in a toaster for 1 minute to get crispy surface.
Is the sweet Halal?
Let’s see ingredients and details of Tsuki Gesho.
Ingredients
Green soybeans, Sugar, Condensed milk, flour, butter, egg, liquid sugar, honey, Full fat powder milk, Trehalose, Baking powder
Expiry date
25 days after production date
Price
6 for 930 yen~
The company has not obtained Halal certificate, so please judge the product at your own responsibility.
The company uses gelatin in some of their products. There is a small possibility of contamination in their factory.
In conclusion
The product can be bought at major souvenir shops in Osaka. However, as there is sometimes a limited seasonal flavor with fruit paste, which could have been processed with gelatin, make sure to choose only plain flavor.
There is also a free factory tour and cooking class (not free/requires prior reservation) where you can learn making Tsuki Gesho. The tour is only held in Japanese, but it is worth visiting while finding your ideal souvenir!
