Namagashi
/ˌnɑː.məˈɡɑː.ʃi/noun
A fresh Japanese confection, often made from bean paste and designed with highly seasonal or nature-inspired shapes.
Did you know?In the Japanese tea ceremony, namagashi are traditionally served before bitter matcha, and their seasonal designs can function as edible references to nature’s fleeting beauty.
Etymological Timeline
Old Japanese
Japanese
nama
“Fresh, raw, or uncooked”
Old Japanese
Japanese
kashi
“Fruit or sweet food; later, confectionery”
Premodern Japanese
Japanese
生菓子
“A compound written with characters meaning “fresh” and “confectionery””
Edo Period
Japanese
namagashi
“Fresh, elaborately prepared confectionery associated especially with tea culture”
20th–21st Century
English
namagashi
“A Japanese fresh confection, commonly presented as an artistic seasonal sweet”