Mochi ice cream#
{{Short description|Mochi filled with ice cream}}
{{Infobox prepared food
| name = Mochi ice cream
| image = Mochi Ice Cream.jpg
| image_size = 300px
| caption = Mochi ice cream in green tea, vanilla, and strawberry flavors
| alternate_name =
| country = Japan
| region = East Asia
| creator =
| course = Dessert
| served = Cold
| main_ingredient = Mochi, ice cream, powdered sugar
| variations =
| calories =
| other =
}}
Mochi ice cream is a confection made from Japanese mochi (pounded sticky rice) with an ice cream filling. It was invented by Japanese-American businesswoman and community activist Frances Hashimoto with help from her husband, Joel.{{cite news|first=Teresa|last=Watanabe|title=Frances Hashimoto dies at 69; Little Tokyo leader, mochi ice cream creator |url= https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-frances-hashimoto-20121107-story.html |work=Los Angeles Times |date=2012-11-07 |access-date=2012-12-02}}
Description
File:Chocolate and vanilla mochi ice cream.jpg
Mochi ice cream is a small, round confection consisting of a soft, pounded sticky rice dumpling (mochi) formed around an ice cream filling.{{cite web|url=http://www.mochiicecream.com/what-is-mochi-ice-cream/|title=What is Mochi Ice Cream?|publisher=Mikawaya|language=en|access-date=25 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160405215542/http://www.mochiicecream.com/what-is-mochi-ice-cream/|archive-date=5 April 2016|url-status=dead}} The ice cream adds flavor and creaminess to the confectionery while the mochi adds sweetness and texture. The traditional ice cream flavors used are vanilla, chocolate and strawberry. Other flavors, such as Kona coffee, plum wine, green tea, and red bean, are also widely used.{{cite web |url=http://www.mochiicecream.com/mochi-ice-cream/ |title=Mochi Ice Cream |publisher=Mikawaya |language=en |access-date=25 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160405205541/http://www.mochiicecream.com/mochi-ice-cream/ |archive-date=5 April 2016 |url-status=dead }} Mochi can also be flavored as a complement to the ice cream filling. When making mochi, it is dusted with either potato or cornstarch to keep it from caking while being formed and handled.{{cite web|title=Mochi Ice Cream Recipe|url=http://www.houseofjapan.com/cuisine/mochi-ice-cream-recipe|publisher=House of Japan|date=25 October 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150610050951/http://www.houseofjapan.com/cuisine/mochi-ice-cream-recipe|archive-date=10 June 2015}}
History
File:GreenTeaMochiIceCream.jpg mochi]]
Japanese daifuku is the predecessor to mochi ice cream, commonly featuring adzuki bean filling. Due to the temperature and consistency of mochi and ice cream, both components must be modified. This is to achieve the right viscosity that will remain constant regardless of changes in temperature.Eto, Masa, [http://www.aandd.jp/editorial/archive/2004march.html Pursuit of Innovative Food], Masa's Message, A&D Company Ltd., March 2004. Technical information on Yukimi Daifuku. URL accessed August 10, 2006.[http://www.scpr.org/news/2013/01/22/35666/mochi-ice-cream-founder-reveals-how-he-came-top-se/ SCPR:Bad texture led to creation of popular dessert]
An early predecessor form of the dessert was originally produced by Lotte as Yukimi Daifuku in 1981. The company first made the product by using a rice starch instead of sticky rice and a rice milk instead of real ice cream.Japan. Japan Patent Office. Trademark Application From File: #s56-64587. Tokyo, 1981.
Frances Hashimoto, the former president and CEO of Mikawaya, is credited as the inventor of mochi ice cream.{{cite news|first=Ellen|last=Endo|title=Mikwaya CEO Hashimoto Passes at 69 |url=http://www.rafu.com/2012/11/mikawaya-ceo-hashimoto-passes-at-69/ |work=Rafu Shimpo |date=2012-11-05 |access-date=2012-12-02}}{{cite news|first=Wendy|last=Lee|title=Frances Hashimoto, creator of mochi ice cream, dies |url=http://www.scpr.org/news/2012/11/07/34859/frances-hashimoto-creator-mochi-ice-cream-dies-lun/ |work=KPCC |date=2012-11-07 |access-date=2012-12-02}}{{cite news|first=Robert|last=Jablon|title=Frances Hashimoto Dead: Inventor Of Mochi Ice Cream Dies Of Lung Cancer |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/07/frances-hashimoto-dead-in_n_2089091.html |agency=Associated Press |publisher=Huffington Post |date=2012-11-07 |access-date=2012-12-02}} Hashimoto's husband, Joel Friedman, conceived the idea of taking small orbs of ice cream and wrapping them in a Japanese traditional mochi rice cake. Frances Hashimoto expanded on her husband's idea, inventing the fusion dessert now popular in the United States and elsewhere. Hashimoto introduced seven flavors in the mochi product line.
File:Li-Hing mango mochi ice cream (6825643734).jpg ice cream mochi]]
Mikawaya, a company in America, began production of mochi ice cream in the United States in 1993.[http://www.sushiandtofu.com/sushi_and_tofu/features_mochiIceCream.htm Mainstream America Embraces Mochi Ice Cream], sushiandtofu.com, All Japan News, December, 2001. History of Mochi Ice Cream and Mikawaya Bakery-Confectionery. URL accessed August 10, 2006. [https://web.archive.org/web/20020204200059/http://sushiandtofu.com/sushi_and_tofu/features_mochiIceCream.htm Archive.org copy][http://www.mikawayausa.com/www/about.shtml About Us], Mikawaya, 2005. URL accessed January 18, 2007.
Research and development took over a decade to evolve into the mass production form used today, due to the complex interactions of the ingredients. Trial and error was used in order to successfully pull the delicate mochi dough over the ice cream without leaving a sodden mess.{{Cite news|url=https://www.scpr.org/news/2013/01/22/35666/mochi-ice-cream-founder-reveals-how-he-came-top-se/|title=Mochi ice cream: Bad texture led to popular dessert|last=Radio|first=Southern California Public|date=2013-01-22|work=Southern California Public Radio|access-date=2018-07-24}} Friedman explained that in order to conduct production of the ice cream, experts in fields ranging from construction to microbiology were brought in to perfect the state-of-the-art production building.{{Cite news|title=The Mochi Way|work=Dairy Foods|year=2012}}
Mikawaya debuted their mochi ice cream in Hawaii in 1994. The frozen treat was so popular, it captured 15% of the novelty frozen treat market during its first four months.
Mochi ice cream gained huge popularity in the UK following a viral TikTok trend, which began in January 2021. The trend of ‘Looking for Little Moons in Big Tesco’ became a sensation, receiving 341.8M views and a surge in sales of 1400% in Tesco alone.{{Cite web|title=How to go viral on TikTok|url=https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/article/1707202|access-date=2022-01-14|website=www.managementtoday.co.uk|language=en}}
Now, stores like Trader Joe's sell mochi ice cream with flavors such as mango, chocolate, and, in some places, purple yam.{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}}
See also
References
{{reflist|2}}
External links
{{Commons category|Mochi ice cream}}
- [http://mikawayausa.com/english_files/main_english.shtml Mikawaya's official site]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20051026033603/http://www.lotte.co.jp/ Lotte's official site (Japanese)]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20150506171350/http://honoluluweekly.com/restaurants/food-box/2006/06/the-joy-of-mochi/ The joy of mochi] — June 14, 2006 Honolulu Weekly article, featuring Bubbies Homemade Ice Cream of Honolulu
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20080125060903/http://www.maeda-en.com/product/index.php Maeda-en Mochi Ice Cream site]
- {{YouTube|I4J-mu1AZgk |Mochi Ice Cream You Can Make at Home}}
- [https://littlemoons.com/ Little Moons official website]
{{Ice cream}}