Mochi

Kakumochi (cutted rice cake)

Mochi is a type of Japanese confectionary made from pounded pasty rice and molded into shape. Mochi normally has a filling inside, such as ice cream, azuki (red bean) paste, and others. In Japan, mochi is often eaten in New Year's Day in one of two dishes: ozoni (お雑煮) or osiruko (おしるこ).

Mochitsuki(餅つき）

Usu and Kine

Mochitusuki

Mochitsuki is a traditional mochi-making ceremony in Japan. It requires two people. One person pounds steamed rice into the dough with a traditional mortar (臼:usu）and a mallet（杵:kine). The other person turns over rice each time it is pounded. They have to keep rhythm to make mochi well. These days, normal families rarely do classic mochitsuki, but it is still popular at community events or with children's groups.

Mochi dishes

Yaki mochi (grilled mochi)
Kusa mochi (mochi produced by mixing mugwort into glutinous rice and pounding the mixture )
Kinako mochi (mochi with powdered soybeans )
Ozoni (soup dish which contains mochi and other ingredients)
Oshiruko (mochi in a sweet soup which is obtained by boiling red beans )

Choking hazard

Mochi can be dangerous food for old people because it is difficult to bite off and is sticky. Many old people choke to death while eating mochi every year. Japanese know mochi is dangerous traditional food, so the accident is one's own responsibility.^[1]

Mochi is very sticky

Mochi Media

Fresh mochi being pounded
Kagami mochi, a variation of mochi which is placed on family altars on December 28 to celebrate Japanese New Year
Sakuramochi wrapped in pickled cherry (sakura) leaf.
Girls' Day hishi mochi
Steamed rice in a stone mortar being mashed with a wooden kine (pestle) during mochitsuki
Cooked rice being automatically tumbled in a modern household machine
Making mochi with modern equipment
Nutritional facts table for mochi