Kompeito
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Kompeito (Japanese: 金平糖, 金米糖, or 金餅糖 in Kanji, or こんぺいとう・コンペイトー in kana [hiragana is more common as it is now a naturalized Japanese word], konpeitō) is a Japanese candy originally made in Portugal. The word Kompeito comes from the Portuguese word confeito, which means a sugar candy. It was introduced to Japan somewhere around the 15th and 16th century by traders from Europe.
Kompeito is usually 5 to 10 millimeters in diameter. They are covered with tiny bulges, which occur in the cooking process. It usually takes 7 to 10 days to make Kompeito and they are handmade even today. Kompeito is made by showering sugar water in a giant spinning tub called dora. This forming process is a topic in molecular engineering, as these bulges would not form if the tub spun faster.
[edit] Kompeito in fiction
The Soot Balls (coal-carrying sprites) in the Hayao Miyazaki animated film Spirited Away are fed kompeito by Lin after their work shift in the bathhouse boiler room.
Shima Katase, the protagonist of the animated series Stellvia of the Universe, keeps a jar of kompeito in her room as a sentimental reminder of her homeland. As a recurring theme of the series, Shima is often seen eating the candy or sharing it with others.
In episode 32 of the popular anime series Bleach, Renji Abarai gives Rukia Kuchiki kompeito, and Rukia later defends a child who has his kompeito taken from him by an older kid.
In the popular anime and manga series Paradise Kiss, Miwako Sakurada keeps a jar of kompeito that was given to her by a friend. She eats it when she feels down, because it carries special memories.
Kompeito is a recurring item in Hisaya Nakajo's current manga series, Sugar Princess.
In episode 6 of Ojamajo Doremi Na-i-sho, kompeito plays a minor role in the plotline of the episode.
Episode 5 of Hamtaro (Diamonds of Sugar) revolves around the Ham-Ham gang trying to obtain kompeito, which they believe to be the stars in the sky.
In Sailor Moon the Movie S: Hearts in Ice the "Star-flakes" Luna enjoys eating are actually called kompeito in the original Japanese.
The Everlasting Gobstoppers from the 1971 film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory have an appearance similar to kompeito.
In Mobile Suit Gundam the Zeon space fortress Solomon is shaped like a kompeito. After it's captured by the Earth Federation, it's renamed "Kompeito."
