Tobitsuki Dango ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

Fukui Prefecture

Tobitsuki Dango

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Image Source : Asada Cooking School Co. Ltd.

Main lore areas

Awara City, Part of Sakai City
Main ingredients used

Glutinous rice flour, Rice flour, "Sasage" (=Cowpea), Sugar, Salt

History/origin/related events

"Tobitsuki Dango" is a traditional sweets used to be cooked at home commonly as an offering for ancestors during "obon". It looks like "ohagi" (=rice ball coated with sweet red beans) at a glance, but it is a mochi made from glutinous rice with 10% of regular rice, and coated with "sasage" (=cowpea) simmered with keeping its shape. It is popular with simple and slightly sweet taste. "Sasage" is soaked into sugar water after simmered in water so that its outside skin won’t be broken. It tastes sweet these days, and it could be salty before. As it looks like pale-red "sasage" is jumping into (‘jumping into’ means "tobitsuku" in Japanese) the mochi, they call this mochi "tobitsuki dango". It is also said that people ‘jump into’ the sweets to eat because it is very delicious. Originally, "sasage" used to be cultivated at home, and this sweet was prepared during "obon", and as a small present when married ladies went back her parent’s home.
Opportunities and times of eating habits

It is mainly eaten during "obon". There was a custom to make "tobitsuki dango" at home to offer it for their ancestors during "obon". It was widely loved regardless of ages and generations, and served as a hospitality food at "obon" time. It is a traditional sweets passed down among the farmer’s home along the Takeda River in former Mikuni Town, former Awara Town and former Kanazu Town, and prepared at home during "obon" period.
How to eat

Boil rinsed "sasage" with plenty of water until it gets tender, and drain on a strainer. Soak into sugar water for about 1 hour, then drain on the strainer again. Mix glutinous rice flour and rice flour together, then knead with warm water until it gets as soft as an ear lobe. Tear to make thin and long ball, then put into boiled water. Once flows, take it and put on a strainer, and cover with "sasage" while it is still wet. Sugar is used to make "sasage" sweet these days, but it used to be flavored with salt or kinako (Roasted soybean flour).
Efforts for Preservation and Succession

(Outline of the traditions, the preservation society, social media use, modern approaches to commercialization)
Although the number of people making this sweets decreased due to aging society, the groups passing down local foods make effort to prevail this food, and it is still prepared at Japanese confectionaries in winter. This nostalgic taste is still protected.

RECIPE

Ingredients (6 servings)

Shiratamako(=glutinous rice flour) 300g
Rice flour 30g
Sasage (=Cowpea) 200g
Sugar 7 tbsp.
Salt A little
Water 250cc

How to cook

1. Rinse "sasage" and boil with plenty of water until it gets tender. Drain on a strainer, then soak into sugar water for 1 hour. After that, drain on the strainer again to remove liquid.
2. Mix glutinous rice flour and rice flour, and knead with warm water until it gets as soft as an ear lobe. Tear it to make thin long ball, then put into boiled water. Once it flows, take it out and put on a strainer.
3. Cover mochi with "sasage" quickly while it is still wet.

provider : "Rediscover! Fukui's Cuisine" (Slight modifications have been made)

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

Tobitsuki Dango ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

Fukui Prefecture

Tobitsuki Dango

Main lore areas

Main ingredients used

History/origin/related events

Opportunities and times of eating habits

How to eat

Efforts for Preservation and Succession

RECIPE

Ingredients (6 servings)

How to cook