Yōkan

Yōkan (羊羹^?) is a thick jellied dessert made of red bean paste, agar, and sugar.

It is usually sold in a block form, and eaten in slices.

There are two main types: neri yōkan and mizu yōkan. "Mizu" means "water", and indicates that it is made with more water than usual. Mizu yōkan is often chilled and eaten in summer.

Although most yōkan found in Japan and abroad are typically made with red bean paste, yōkan made from white kidney bean paste (しろあん, 白餡 shiro an^?) are also relatively common.

Originally a Chinese confection or snack made from gelatin from boiled sheep; the term is literally “sheep geng” (羊 sheep + 羹 thick soup). It was introduced to Japan by Zen Buddhists in the Kamakura and Muromachi periods, around 1191A.D. As Buddhism forbids killing, they substituted the animal gelatin with wheat flour and azuki beans. Agar came into use after it was discovered during the Edo period in around 1800A.D.