Japan New Year Rice Cake
Mochi a type of chewy rice cake is a classic japanese new year s food.
Japan new year rice cake. Some are sweet and soft some come in hard shape meant for cooking. In addition it may have a sheet of konbu and a skewer of dried persimmons under the mochi. Rich in calcium and iron mugwort is added to the mochi rice mix to create a vivid green hue that will be made into o mogi rice.
Traditionally neighbors would get together to make the mochiat the end of the year before. Every late november until the beginning of january you will start seeing two layered mochi varieties in different sizes for sale in supermarkets convenience stores and food stalls everywhere. The new year s rice cake is another festive item said to contain the spirit of the gods.
Families traditionally celebrate new year by cooking a vegetable. Its round shape is an homage to one of the holiest items in all of japan the mirror of the sun goddess amaterasu. Kagami mochi 鏡餅 mirror rice cake is a traditional japanese new year decoration.
These little round cakes are even used in certain new year s decorations such as the kagami mochi. A very traditional new year s activity is preparing the mochi yourself on new year s day. Mochi is a glutinous rice cake that can be enjoyed in many varieties in japan.
According to japanese mythology the earth went dark when amaterasu retreated from the world and hid in a cave. It usually consists of two round mochi rice cakes the smaller placed atop the larger and a daidai a japanese bitter orange with an attached leaf on top. While also eaten year round mochi is a traditional food for the japanese new year.
In japan it is traditionally made in a ceremony called mochitsuki. 餅 もち is japanese rice cake made of mochigome a short grain japonica glutinous rice and sometimes other ingredients such as water sugar and cornstarch the rice is pounded into paste and molded into the desired shape. The japanese have a custom of offering mochi rice cakes to the deity of the coming year s harvest or toshigami in the new year.