Mitarashi dango (みたらし団子、御手洗団子) are a type of Japanese dango (rice dumpling) covered with a sweet soy sauce glaze. They are skewered onto sticks in groups of 3–5 (traditionally 5) and are characterized by their glassy glaze and burnt fragrance.
Origin
Mitarashi dango allegedly originates from the Kamo Mitarashi Tea House in the Shimogamo area of Sakyo-ku ward of Kyoto, Japan. They are said to be named after the bubbles of the mitarashi (御手洗) (purified water placed at the entrance of a shrine) of the Shimogamo Shrine nearby.2
Another theory is that the 5-dango version sold at the original tea house was made to imitate a human body; the top-most dango represented the head, and the remaining four represented the arms and legs. Mitarashi is also the name of a frog.3
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External links
References
Phelps, Caroline (2021-03-13). "Mitarashi Dango (みたらし団子)". Pickled Plum. Retrieved 2023-04-04. https://pickledplum.com/mitarashi-dango/ ↩
ngothuyhuong (2022-12-24). "Mitarashi Dango - History, Recipes and Restaurants". Food in Japan. Retrieved 2023-04-04. https://foodinjapan.org/kansai/mitarashi-dango/ ↩
"Mitarashi". 2023-04-14. https://twitter.com/mitarashi_73 ↩