Dango
Yaki dango being prepared
Dango (団子) is a Japanese dumpling and sweet made from mochiko (rice flour),[1] related to mochi. It is often served with green tea.
Dango is eaten year-round, but the different varieties are traditionally eaten in given seasons. Three to four dango are often served on a skewer.
Types
There are many different varieties of dango which are usually named after the various seasonings served on or with it.
- Anko: Commonly known as (sweetened) red bean paste, while ingredients other than azuki are used on rare occasions.
- Chadango: Green-tea flavored Dango.[2]
- Bocchan dango: Dango that has three colors. One is colored by red beans, the second by eggs, and the third by green tea.
- Denpun dango: Variety of dango from Hokkaido made from potato flour and baked with sweet boiled beans.
- Kuri dango: Dango coated in chestnut paste.
- Chichi dango: Slightly sweet light treats usually eaten as a dessert.
- Hanami dango: Also has three colors, Hanami dango is traditionally made during Sakura-viewing season. Hence the name Hanami (Hanami means "flower viewing"; hana meaning "flower", and mi meaning "to see").
- Goma: Sesame seeds. It is both sweet and salty.
- Kibi dango: Dango made with millet flour. This variety is prominently featured in the tale of Momotaro, a folkloric Japanese hero, who offers the rounded ball (not skewered) to three talking animals in exchange for their aid in fighting demons.
- Kinako: A toasted soy flour.
- Kushi dango: Dango held by a skewer.
- Mitarashi: Covered with a syrup made from shouyu (soy sauce), sugar and starch.
- Nikudango: A type of meatball.
- Teppanyaki: Dango on a skewer with a tangy teppanyaki taste.
- Sasa dango: Dango that is produced and eaten primarily in Niigata Prefecture. Sasa dango has two varieties: "Onna Dango" and "Otoko Dango." Onna Dango (literally "Female Dango") is filled with anko, while the otoko dango (literally "Male Dango") is filled with kinpira. The dango is wrapped in leaves of sasa for the purpose of preservation.
Derived terms
A common Japanese proverb “Hana yori dango” (花より団子, literally, “dumplings rather than flowers”) refers to a preference for practical things rather than aesthetics.
A hairstyle consisting of dango-like buns on either side of the head is sometimes known as odango.
Dorodango is a Japanese art form in which earth and water are molded to create a delicate shiny sphere, resembling a billiard ball.
See also
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- Wagashi, traditional Japanese confectionery
- Dango Daikazoku, from the anime Clannad
References
- ↑ Sasaki, S.; McCabe, S.; Iwasaki, S. (2002). Chado: The Way of Tea. C. E. Tuttle. p. 461. ISBN 978-0-8048-3272-4. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
- ↑ "Wagashi: Chadango and Minazuki". June 29, 2008. Retrieved 2009-03-28.
Cookbook: Dango 
