Keiran Somen made by Hakata Matsuya is counted among Japan’s three great famous confections, alongside Choseiden from Morihachi in Kanazawa and Koshinoyuki from Yamatoya in Nagaoka. Its origins lie in a Portuguese confection known as “fios de ovos,” meaning “threads of egg,” which was introduced to Hirado in Hizen Province, now part of Nagasaki Prefecture, during the 17th century. At that time, Portuguese merchants visited Hirado as part of the trade with foreign countries during Japan’s period of restricted overseas contact.
Keiran Somen is made from only egg yolks and sugar, ingredients that were especially valuable when the sweet was first developed. A saturated syrup made by boiling a solution of rock sugar is prepared, and egg yolks are poured into it in thin streams. The strands set in the syrup, forming delicate threads resembling somen noodles. They are then removed, cooled, and cut into suitable lengths.
The method for making this confection was already recorded as “tamago somen” in the sweets section of Ryori Monogatari, a cookbook published in the early Edo period.
About 340 years ago, during the Edo period, Matsuya Riemon of Hakata is said to have visited Hirado with a trading merchant and learned the technique from a Chinese person. He adapted the recipe to suit Japan’s climate and tastes. The first Riemon returned to Hakata in 1673 and began selling the sweet. During the Enpo era, he reportedly presented Keiran Somen to Kuroda Mitsuyuki, the lord of the Fukuoka Domain, and became an official confectioner serving the domain.
By the Meiji period, the sweet had become so widespread that confectionery shops throughout Fukuoka were making it. Matsuya Riemon continues to pass down the traditional flavor from the first generation to the present day. Its rich fragrance, gentle sweetness, and moist texture make it a distinctive example of Hakata’s long confectionery tradition.