In search of an edible Cintamani made of sugar for a gold embroidery.

Monk fruit is a herbaceous plant from the gourd family. It is native to southern China and northern Thailand and was cultivated by Chinese monks many centuries ago. It has been used in traditional Chinese medicine, and now as a zero-calorie sweetener.

Kisshoten, holding a cintamani. The oldest preserved painting in Nara, Japan, is the inspiration for these monkfruit candies. I encountered this painting in 2012. Kisshoten is the Japanese divinity of Lakshmi. She holds a cintamani stone on her left hand, a spiritual jewel.

It is believed that candy dates back to the ancient Egyptians at around 2000BC. The first  »candies » were made from honey mixed with fruit or nuts. Later, they were sold in apothecaries as remedies.

A tetramorph

Homemade biscuits and natural colors : spiruline, matcha, beets, curcuma, hibiscus

Detail of Fall in light

*** Un jour je retournerai à Cucugnan (village occitan que j’ai traversé sur le sentier Cathare), pour entrer dans la boulangerie de Roland Feuillas : Les Maitres de Mon Moulin. Si seulement j’avais su à l’époque..