The combination is said to taste like crème caramel. The filling for this daifuku is a creamy custard that contains some caramel, although some variations do include the red bean paste filling or use the caramel as a drizzle. This daifuku blends the old and the new together, combining this traditional Japanese treat with the more modern Japanese pudding. Taking inspiration from the famous chestnut cream dessert, this daifuku uses chestnut cream as its filling instead of red bean paste. Other types mix the mochi with coffee, causing the rice cake to take on a coffee-like brown color and a coffee taste and aroma. ![]() Some variations even include a filling made with fresh cream, sometimes called Café au lait Daifuku. Image via Shutterstock Coffee DaifukuĬoffee Daifuku is made from mochi stuffed with a creamy coffee-flavored bean paste. Ume daifuku can only be enjoyed during the late winter and early spring during ume season.įlavors like ume and cherry blossom may not be around for long, but they’re popular types of daifuku for celebrating certain seasons. The contrast between the sweet mochi and the tangy ume creates a good balance between the two flavors. Japanese plums ( ume) are coated with red bean paste before they are wrapped with mochi. This daifuku is made by mixing millet (a small, hard grain) with the mochi. There is also a type called shiozu daifuku that combines shio and mame daifuku. Salt was once used as seasoning instead of sugar, but these days, both sugar and salt are used at a perfect amount. ![]() This daifuku uses unsweetened red bean filling. It is also called kusa daifuku (herb daifuku) in some parts of Japan. The vibrancy of the green depends on how much yomogi is used during the mochi-making process. This version of daifuku uses mochi with yomogi (Japanese mugwort leaves) kneaded into the mochi. This daifuku earned its name thanks to the mame (beans) – red beans or soybeans – that are mixed in with the mochi or red bean filling, adding a slight texture to the rice cake. Some types of daifuku, like this ichigo daifuku, use white bean paste because the bean taste is milder. The regional Amaou strawberry is a very popular choice, but chestnut, grape, orange, peach, melon, blueberry, persimmon, and tomato are also popular options for daifuku. The origin of ichigo daifuku is a hot debate topic, but all can agree it was made during the 1980s. Since it uses fresh fruit, you should eat it as soon as possible or the strawberries will gradually drain, and the bean paste will become watery, leaking out from the rice cake shell. Other variations might use red colored mochi, white bean paste (instead of red bean), or even cream. It’s perfect during Japan’s strawberry season. Perhaps one of the most iconic types of daifuku, this one uses whole strawberries ( ichigo) covered in a thin layer of red bean paste as its filling. The red bean paste can either have a fine texture or a coarse texture depending on the maker. Food coloring can also be used to change the color of the mochi, but not the taste. This type of mochi is the original daifuku. Need some tea or some other snacks to eat your daifuku with? Check out Sakuraco! Sakuraco sends traditional Japanese teas, snacks, sweets, and even kitchenware right to your door straight from local Japanese makers! Now, let’s dive into all the tasty types of daifuku here in Japan! Due to sugar being a luxury item at the time, daifuku mochi with salted red bean filling was widely sold during the Meiji and Taisho periods (1868~1926) instead. Initially, the baked version was called daifuku mochi, while the unbaked ones were called “ Nama no Anmochi” (raw anko red bean rice cake) or “ mochi manju.”įun fact: Sweetened red bean paste wasn’t created until around the end of the 18 th century. ![]() As a result, daifuku is often associated with Japanese New Year celebrations and other spring festivals.Īlso, in the late 1700s, hot daifuku baked and sold by street peddlers became popular. Using the kanji (Chinese writing) for luck, the new daifuku mochi means “great luck rice cake” and was known to bring good fortune. This time the name was a play on the word “ fuku,” which can mean both ‘belly’ and ‘luck’. The name later changed to daifuku mochi (big belly rice cake) before changing again. It became known as habotai mochi (belly thick rice cake) because of how the filling expanded inside the rice cake. These wagashi originated some time during the early Edo period (1603-1867), and in 1875, a widow in Koishikawa, Edo (modern-day Tokyo), miniaturized the snacks and added sugar to the red bean paste. Uzura mochi (mochi shaped like a quail) is said to be the predecessor of daifuku. However, daifuku has a variety of shapes and fillings. Modern-day daifuku, like this purple potato one, looks like this.
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