The morning of graduation I opened the teachers’ room door to be greeted by the almost overwhelming scent of Sakura. One of the teachers has a
son in the graduating class, so he had placed a Sakura mochi sweet on everyone’s desk. The Sakura Latte, Sakura Frap, Sakura ice cream–it’s all based at some level on this traditional Japanese treat, or 和菓子 (wagashi.)

This one is a delicate Sakura scented pancake wrapped around sweet red bean paste, with a salted leaf wrapped around the outside. I usually have the sticky rice version, so this was
a welcome change. The taste is distinctive, floral and sweet and slightly salty. It’s almost a stronger smell than taste, so it was lovely having the whole teachers staff room be perfumed with a beautiful reminder of spring and the momentous occasion of the graduation ceremony.

After all, memories are often connected with taste and scent, and Sakura will always be inextricably linked with graduation and the transition to Spring.

Have you tried Sakura mochi? What do you think of floral flavors in general? Let me know in the comments, and don’t forget to like and share this post with your Sakura loving friends 😀