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This article may be expanded with text translated from the corresponding article in the Japanese Wikipedia. (September 2012) Click [show] on the right to read important instructions before translating.[show]

Mochi (餅^?) is a Japanese rice cake made of glutinous rice (not to be confused with gluten) pounded into paste and molded into the desired shape. In Japan it is traditionally made in a ceremony called mochitsuki.^[1] While also eaten year-round,mochi is a traditional food for the Japanese New Year and is commonly sold and eaten during that time. Similar snacks are prominent in Hawaii, South Korea, Taiwan, China (where it is called 麻糬, Hokkien môa-chî or Mandarin máshu), Cambodia, the Philippines,(called Maha) Thailand, and Indonesia.^{[citation needed]}

Contents [hide] 1 Preparation 2 Popular uses for mochi 2.1 Confectionery 2.1.1 Ice cream 2.2 Soup 2.3 New Year specialties 2.4 Other variations 3 See also 4 References

[edit]Preparation

Traditionally, mochi was made from whole rice, in a labor-intensive process. The traditional mochi-pounding ceremony in Japan is Mochitsuki:

1. Polished glutinous rice is soaked overnight and cooked.


2. The cooked rice is pounded with wooden mallets (kine) in a traditional mortar (usu). Two people will alternate the work, one pounding and the other turning and wetting the mochi. They must keep a steady rhythm or they may accidentally injure one another with the heavy kine.


3. The sticky mass is then formed into various shapes (usually a sphere or cube).