anko

Anko is a traditional Japanese sweet paste made from azuki beans, typically sweetened with sugar. It is a cornerstone of wagashi, used as a filling or topping in a wide range of desserts and confections.

The most common varieties are tsubuan, which retains the whole beans for a chunky texture, and koshian, a smooth paste created by rubbing or sieving the beans to remove skins. A lighter form called mizu an is thinner and used in certain preparations.

Production involves soaking azuki beans, simmering until soft, mashing or grinding, and adding sugar; the paste may be strained to adjust texture. The flavor ranges from mildly sweet to richly sweet depending on sugar level, and some preparations add a pinch of salt to balance sweetness.

Uses include filling for dorayaki, manju, daifuku, and taiyaki; as a topping for anmitsu; or eaten with mochi, bread, or ice cream. Anko is deeply associated with Japanese confectionery and appears in a wide variety of regional sweets as well as modern desserts.

The term anko refers to this red bean paste in Japanese, with kanji 餡 or the common hiragana form あんこ. In addition to its culinary meaning, anko can also be encountered as a surname or given name in some contexts.