Hanabiramochi
{{Italic title|reason=:Category:Japanese words and phrases}}
{{Infobox food
| name = Hanabiramochi
| image = Hanabiramochi.JPG
| image_size = 300px
| caption =
| alternate_name =
| country = Japan
| region =
| creator =
| type = Wagashi
| served =
| main_ingredient = Mochi, miso, Gyūhi, burdock
| variations =
| calories =
| other =
}}
{{Nihongo|Hanabiramochi|葩餅}} is a Japanese sweet (wagashi), usually eaten at the beginning of the year.{{Cite journal |last=He |first=Yiting |date=2018 |title=Culinary Integration and Sweet Imagination: The Case of Japanese Confectionery under Globalisation |url=https://www.duo.uio.no/handle/10852/64328}} Hanabiramochi are also served at the first tea ceremony of the new year.{{Cite book |url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/edit/10.4324/9781315753454/routledge-history-food-carol-helstosky |title=The Routledge History of Food |date=2014 |publisher=Routledge |editor-last=Helstosky |editor-first=Carol |doi=10.4324/9781315753454|isbn=978-1-317-62113-3 }}{{Cite web |title=Hanabiramochi {{!}} Traditional Dessert From Japan {{!}} TasteAtlas |url=https://www.tasteatlas.com/hanabiramochi |access-date=2024-03-29 |website=www.tasteatlas.com}}{{Cite book |last=Goldstein |first=Darra |title=The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets |last2=Mintz |first2=Sidney |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2015 |isbn=9780199313624 |edition=Reprint}}
Origin
The name "hanabiramochi" literally means "flower petal mochi". The original form of Hanabiramochi is Hishihanabira, a dessert that was eaten by the Imperial family at special events coinciding with the beginning of the year.
Hanabiramochi was first made in the Meiji Era, and is now a familiar New Year wagashi.
Form
The exact shape of hanabiramochi is strictly defined by tradition. The white mochi covering is flat and round, folded over to form a semicircular shape, and must have a pink color showing through in the center of the confection, fading to a white at the edge. Unlike a daifuku, the mochi must not completely seal the insides.
In the center of a hanabiramochi is a layer of anko, a sweet bean paste, commonly the white kind made from sweetened mung beans. In the very center is a thin strip of sweetly flavoured gobo (burdock), which protrudes from the mochi on both sides.
Significance and symbolism
Each element of the hanabiramochi is significant:
The red colour showing through the white mochi is not only appropriate to the celebration of the new year, but also evokes the Japanese apricot/plum (ume) blossom, which in turn represents the purity, perseverance, and renewal associated with the New Year.
The gobo represents pressed ayu, a fish exclusive to East Asia, and a prayer for a long life.