Kyoto’s Pride: Koushiya’s Old-Fashioned Sweets You’d Steal to Eat

I’d steal it if I had to – Kyoto’s pride in its nostalgic sweets: “Dorobo”
Visiting “Koushiya”

It was a certain PR magazine that introduced me to the “Dorobo” the nostalgic sweets from “Koushiya”
Intrigued by its interesting name, I made my way all the way to the area near Nijo Castle in Kyoto.
The shopfront of this store, housed in a century-old Kyoto townhouse, displays an array of colorful traditional sweets and old-fashioned snacks.

The front entrance of “Koushiya”

Old-fashioned sweets from “Koushiya” 1

Old-fashioned sweets from “Koushiya” 2

Old-fashioned sweets from “Koushiya” 3

Ignoring all other sweets, I seek out the “Dorobo” and devour it the moment I get home.
Outside is crisp, hard. Inside is crumbly soft.
I was overwhelmed by the deliciousness of its dual-texture bite, where the rich flavor of dark brown sugar blended together.

“Dorobo”

A piece of “Dorobo”

The rich, sticky flavor of brown sugar spreads across your tongue, and in the next instance, the savory aroma of rice crackers explodes in your mouth, bringing the umami to its peak.
It’s rare to find such delicious snacks made with brown sugar.

So, I stepped through the shop curtain once more and learned a great deal from Mr. Shinji Tanaka, the third-generation owner who transformed Koushiya – originally a manufacturing and wholesale specialist (found in 1912) – into a store that also sells directly to customers.

The process is quite simple.
First, fry the flour to make the inari (fried = inari) dough.
Coat it with syrup to make rice crackers, then coat it with cooked brown sugar to finish.

Incidentally, ‘rice crackers’ are also called ‘shanko’ (mountain spice), and apparently there used to be several confectionery shops called “shanko-ya” in old Kyoto. However, it seems that only this “Koushiya” remains today.

Listening to Mr. Tanaka’s explanation, one can almost surmise that the superior taste of this old-fashioned sweet lie in the amount of starch syrup and the degree to which the Okinawan Kohama Island black sugar is cooked.

Moreover, I can’t help but feel that the taste gains an extra layer of depth precisely because of the genuine dedication of Mr. Tanaka, the maker striving to preserve these traditional snacks.

It’s a confection so tempting you’d steal it to eat, hence “Dorobo.”
What a fitting name.

↑Please support us by clicking here! m(_ _)m

Author

つばくろ(Tsubakuro)
I was born and raised in Kyoto and am a native Kyotoite.
When I was young, I longed to visit Tokyo and Osaka, which are more bustling than Kyoto, but as I have gotten older, I have come to appreciate Kyoto a little more.
In this site, I will introduce you to some of the best places to explore Kyoto's food that you might otherwise miss at first glance.