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Hatsu-uma Dango ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

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  • Gifu Prefecture

    Hatsu-uma Dango

Hatsu-uma Dango

Related images
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  • Hatsu-uma Dango
    DOWNLOAD

    Image Source : Shirakawa Village Office, Gifu Prefecture

  • Hatsu-uma Dango
    DOWNLOAD

    Image Source : Shirakawa Village Office, Gifu Prefecture

  • Hatsu-uma Dango
    DOWNLOAD

    Image Source : Shirakawa Village Office, Gifu Prefecture

  • Hatsu-uma Dango
    DOWNLOAD

    Image Source : Shirakawa Village Office, Gifu Prefecture

  • Main lore areas

    Hida Area centered on Shirakawa Village, Chuno Area centered on Gujo City, Gifu Area

  • Main ingredients used

    Rice flour

  • History/origin/related events

    From the Meiji period to the early Showa period, sericulture flourished in a lifestyle of self-sufficiency. As a domestic activity that provided valuable cash income, many families in Gifu Prefecture, in areas suitable for sericulture, raised silkworms, harvested cocoons, and shipped them out.
    On the first horse day of February, before the mulberry leaves that silkworms will eat are prepared, people offered cocoon-shaped dumplings called "Hatsuuma-dango" to the gods and eat them, hoping that cocoons would be of high quality and produced in large quantities.
    In Shirakawa Village, not only are Hatsuuma-dango offered to the gods, but there is also the Kogai Festival to pray for a good harvest of silkworms, and the traditional performing art of "Harukoma Odori" is performed. The Harukoma Odori is a celebratory dance in which residents disguise themselves as the seven gods of good fortune and dancers. In recent years, the dance has been performed not only at the Kogai Festival, but also on special occasions such as New Year's and weddings.

  • Opportunities and times of eating habits

    The first horse day of February is called "Hatsuuma" and "Hatsuuma Matsuri (first horse day festival)” is held at tens of thousands of Inari shrines throughout Japan. Aburaage (fried thin tofu), a favorite food of foxes, which are believed to be messengers of the Inari gods, is offered to the gods to pray for a good harvest, prosperous business, safety in the home, and the fulfillment of various wishes.
    In Gifu Prefecture, where sericulture is flourishing, "Hatsuuma Matsuri" has taken root as a festival to pray for increased production of cocoons, and "Hatsuuma-Dango" is offered and eaten at the festival.

  • How to eat

    Rice flour is kneaded until it is about the consistency of an earlobe, shaped into bite-size cocoons, and steamed. The steamed dumplings are sprinkled with soybean flour, baked and dipped in soy sauce, or served in a clear soup, miso soup, or zenzai (a sweet red bean soup), depending on the region. The main ingredient can be "millet" or "buckwheat." In recent years, some regions have developed new arrangements, such as deep-fried dumplings or toasted dumplings with cheese and ketchup.

  • Efforts for Preservation and Succession

    (Outline of traditions, preservation societies, social media use, modern approaches for commercialization etc.)
    Even today, the simple taste of these dumplings is loved by people, and they are served at home and as part of school lunch menus. In Shirakawa Village, famous for its gassho-zukuri style of architecture, Hatsuuma dango are produced from late January to late February, and packaged dango are shipped nationwide and sold at nearby supermarkets.

RECIPE

Ingredients (4 servings)

  • Rice flour 60g
  • Kinako (=Roasted soybean flour) 16g
  • Sugar 12g
  • Salt 0.8g

How to cook

  • 1. Add boiling water to rice flour and knead well. When the mixture becomes as soft as an earlobe, roll it up to make cocoon-shaped dango.

  • 2. Mix kinako (=Roasted soybean flour) sugar and salt well.

  • 3. Boil the dumplings and sprinkle 2 over the dumplings.

provider : Gifu Prefecture School Nutrition Association

Recipes vary depending on the region and home.

Contact

Food Cultures Office, Overseas Market Development and Food Cultures Division, Food Industry Affairs Bureau, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

Tel:+81-3-3502-5516

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