'Tokoroten'

Dietary fiber plus acid.

'Tokoroten arimasu'
Ashinano, Hitoshi. 1998. Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou. Chapter 33. Vol. 5, Page 19, Panel 2.

'Tokoroten' is a dish of thin translucent jelly strips. It is served cold and eaten with vinegar-based dressing. It is a snack rather than a meal.

Photos

Agar (Kanten)

Tokoroten is made from agar, also known as kanten. Agar contains a substantial amount of dietary fiber and no calories. Unlike gelatin, agar does not contain animal protein.

(Traditional stick kanten, freeze-dried tokoroten)

(Modern powdered kanten)

Tengusa

Agar is made from some species of marine plant. They are called tengusa in Japanese. One of them, makusa (Gelidium amansii) is the most common species for making tokoroten. Makusa is a red alga and it turns yellow when it is dried in the sun.

(Makusa displayed at Kannonzaki Nature Museum)

(Makusa being dried in the sun, Jogashima island)

Mitsumame

Alpha mentions mitsumame in chapter 45. It is also made from agar.

'Mitsumame' is a kind of dessert made of agar cubes instead of strips and eaten with sweet syrup instead of sour vinegar.

I wonder why Alpha chooses tokoroten over mitsumame. She loves sweet things, doesn't she?

Conclusion

Agar and vinegar are essential for the health of robot people, I guess. What do you think about it, guys?

Links

Anmitsu by Wikipedia

If you add some an to mitsumame, it's called anmitsu.

How to make Tokoroten by Mieko Nagano

You can learn how to make tokoroten directly from tengusa.

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