MATCHA at NOON with Hana-beera rice cake sweets and dried persimmons on Wave Ai cotton placemat
On the way home, I noticed the Hana-beera rice cake sweets they sell at the Japanese traditional sweets shop. I just rushed into the shop to get some of them. It was just like I had forgotten one task on my to-do-list.
Hana-beera rice cake sweets, or Hana-beera mochi is one of the New Year celebration sweets, so they are available in a very limited time. This year, yes, I made it!
Every year on this season, because of well preparation for breaking into the new year, I usually am busy for consuming large amount of food including sweeets stocked in my home. So I try not to stop at the shop or supermarket as much as possible. Then what happend is it is too late…
The unique point of the sweets is that they are made with Gobo roots (burdock) – the brown sticks covered with soft thin rice cake. Gobo roots categorized in vegetable and cooked for non-sweets. That is our standared cognition. If I I compare the mismatch to the other food, it is like cabbage in an ice cream corn, I would say.
Adding this, it is made with miso paste for the sweets stuffing. – It is not a big surprise though. Just like slices of pineapple are on a pizza.
Anyway, it looks pretty and tastes great.
Why is this for new year celebration? Because it is served at the first tea ceremony of the year, I have heared.
These are what I found on web pages after enjoyed my tea break.
- Hana-beera rice cake sweets is Japanese sweets, eaten at the beginning of the year.
- It was originally served in Imperial Family on new year celebration in Meiji Era (in the 19th century).
- Using Gobo roots and miso paste comes from the food served on ceremony of longevity. It originally was a dish like Ozoni in Heian Era (started in the 8th century). Ozoni is New Year’s soup containing rice cake, seafood, vegetable and ets.
Click the pick!
No wonder Gobo roots and miso paste in Hana-beera rice cake sweets!
Dried persimmon is also one of this seasonal feature. They are produced throughout Japan, from the North to South, in many kinds.
These ones are Ichida-gaki. Very sweets.
Wave Ai cotton placemat is available on my shop.
Visit my shop clicking here!
https://www.etsy.com/shop/MATCHAatNOON
https://www.etsy.com/listing/213822512/wave-ai-cotton-placemat-set-of-5
