Mochi is also known as rice cakes. Do you know that Japanese people really love mochi?
Photo: David Woo on Flickr
They also have a ceremony for pounding cooked rice in traditional mortar with wooden mallet. That ceremony, “Mochitsuki” is so popular not only among Japanese people, but also so popular among foreigners too. How they eat mochi then? There are so many ways that Japanese people eat mochi in their country. So, let’s know more about the desserts or dishes made from mochi.
Photo: Burt Lum on Flickr
DAIFUKU
Daifuku are from two words of Japanese, “Dai” and “Fuku”. “Dai” means big, and “Fuku” means luck. So, what is it then? Daifuku is a small round mochi stuffed with sweet filling, such as azuki red bean paste. This kind of dessert is my favorite one. I love the filling too, the sweet azuki red bean paste, which is the best combination for mochi.
Photo: Taku on Flickr
ICHIGO DAIFUKU
Ichigo is strawberry in Japanese. This dessert is same with daifuku, but the difference is the filling. Ichigo daifuku is a mochi filled with strawberry. The taste of this dessert is a combination of the sweetness and the sour taste from the strawberry, with the chewy texture of the mochi itself. For me, I prefer the normal daifuku, which is filled with sweet azuki red bean paste.
Photo: Mokiko on Flickr
KINAKO MOCHI
Kinako means roasted soy flour in Japanese. It means that, this kind of dessert is a mochi layered with roasted soy flour. The roasted soy flour is sweet that makes a good combination with the texture of the mochi itself.
Kurumi Mochi
MOCHI ICE CREAM
Photo: Sun Brockie on Flickr
This is my favorite one! This dessert is similar with daifuku too, but the filling is ice cream! For the ice cream, you can choose your favorite one. Luckily, you can find this dessert easily at any convenience store in Japan. It is 雪見だいふく(Yukimidaifuku). Unfortunately, you can only find Yukimidaifuku during spring season in Japan. I recommend you to try this dessert! It is really delicious!
DANGO
Photo: Carrie on Flickr
Dango is often served with green tea. In Japan, different types of dango are traditionally eaten in certain seasons. They usually served them on a skewer with three or four dango. There are so many types of dango in Japan, but I can recommend you to try the anko dango and the goma dango. Anko is sweet azuki red bean paste, while goma is sesame seeds.
OSHIRUKO
Oshiruko is a sweet porridge made of azuki red bean, crushed and boiled, with mochi inside of it. Japanese people really love to eat this dessert during winter season.
ZONI
Photo: naoko kawachi on Flickr
Do you think that mochi is always served as dessert in Japan? Surprisingly, this one is not dessert. Zoni is a Japanese soup with mochi inside of it. Japanese people have a tradition to eat this Zoni on Japanese New Year’s Day. They also have their own ways to make Zoni, varies by household and prefectures in Japan.
AT LAST
Those are the ways to eat mochi in Japan. I really recommend you to try the mochi ice cream. You can buy “Yukimidaifuku” from any convenience stores in Japan. I think you will get stuck on those desserts! So sweet and delicious!
