Tannafakuru: Okinawa’s Soft Black Sugar Cookie with a Story in Its Name

If you've wandered the snack aisle of an Okinawan supermarket, you may have spotted a stack of flat, dark-brown rounds that look a little like oversized cookies. Pick one up and it's surprisingly soft, closer to a tender little cake than a crunchy biscuit. That's tannafakuru, one of Okinawa's most old-fashioned sweets, and its name comes with a story.

What Is Tannafakuru?

Tannafakuru is a simple baked sweet made mainly from three ingredients: kokuto (Okinawan black sugar), wheat flour, and eggs. It's usually shaped into a flat round, and the dark sugar gives it a deep brown color and a rich, slightly smoky sweetness that's mellower than you might expect.

The texture is what surprises most first-timers. Instead of snapping, tannafakuru bends. It's soft, moist, and a little chewy, which makes it feel more like a homey snack cake than a cookie. There's no frosting, no filling, and nothing fancy, and that plainness is a big part of its charm.

A Name That Tells a Story

Tannafakuru is said to date back to around the Meiji era (the late 1800s), when it was first made in Naha. The most widely told explanation of the name goes like this:

• Tannafa is said to be the Okinawan reading of Tamanaha (玉那覇), the family name of the confectioner traditionally credited with creating the sweet.
• Kuru (or kurū) means "black" in the Okinawan language, a nod to the cookie's dark color.

Put together, the name roughly means "Tamanaha's black one." Some versions of the story add a playful twist: the round, dark cookie was said to resemble the creator's own sun-darkened face. As with many food origin stories, the details vary depending on who's telling it, but the Tamanaha connection is the explanation you'll hear most often.

Today, Marutama Seika, a long-established confectioner in Naha, is widely regarded as the original maker of tannafakuru. Over the years, other Okinawan bakeries and confectioners have made their own versions too, so you'll find a few different takes on the same simple recipe.

The Kokuto Connection

Tannafakuru is really a showcase for kokuto. With so few ingredients, there's nowhere for the black sugar's flavor to hide. You'll taste its caramel-like depth and gentle mineral note in every bite. If you're curious about the sugar itself, how it's made and where it's produced, take a look at our guide to kokuto, Okinawa's black sugar.

It also belongs to the same family of humble, everyday Okinawan sweets as sata andagi, the round fried doughnuts that "smile" as they cook. And if you enjoy crumbly, buttery treats, Okinawa's classic baked cookie, chinsuko, makes an interesting contrast: same island, very different texture.

How to Enjoy It

Tannafakuru is an easygoing snack that doesn't need much fuss. A few ideas:

• With tea or coffee. Its gentle sweetness pairs nicely with a hot cup of green tea, jasmine tea, or a simple black coffee.
• As an afternoon snack. It's filling enough to tide you over but light enough not to feel heavy.
• Torn and shared. Because it's soft, it's easy to break into pieces and pass around the table.

In Okinawa, tannafakuru is easy to find at supermarkets and souvenir shops, often sold in individually wrapped pieces, which makes it a handy treat to tuck into a bag.

A Quiet Classic

Tannafakuru may not be the flashiest sweet in Okinawa, but it has stuck around for well over a century for good reason. It's soft, comforting, and honest, and it puts the island's beloved black sugar front and center. Next time you come across a stack of those dark little rounds, give one a try.

Kokuto, the black sugar that gives tannafakuru its signature flavor, is one of the Okinawan treats you'll find in CHURA PANTRY boxes. And if there's an Okinawan sweet like tannafakuru you'd love to see included, just let us know!

Koei