Originally, karukan was “saomono gashi” which is a traditional confection in the form of a long block; but “karukan manjū”, which is filled with red bean paste, has become the norm in recent years.

Water is added to the blended ingredients and the mixture is then kneaded and steamed.

The factor in the birth of karukan in Satsuma Domain is that yams, which are the main ingredient of karukan, grow wild and it is easy to get sugar which is made in Ryukyu and the Amami Islands.

Another theory says that karukan was invented in 1854 by a confectioner who was invited by Shimazu Nariakira, the leader of Satsuma Domain.

And fukuregashi, a kind of steamed cake with brown sugar, flour and baking soda, has also been produced in the area for a time.