As the Hanami season approaches, we start to find seasonal sweets around the city. We’re usually not very eager to eat sweets, but we enjoy these two, the Sakuramochi and the Ohagi, very much.
Sakuramochi (桜餅) is a Japanese sweet consisting of sweet pink-colored rice cake (mochi) with a red bean paste (anko) center, and wrapped in a pickled cherry blossom (sakura) leaf. The sweet is traditionally eaten during the spring season, and especially on Girl’s Day (hinamatsuri) and at flower viewing parties (hanami). I specially like the combination of the sweet cake and paste eaten together with the slightly salty slightly bitter leaf — a delicious contrast.
Ohagi, or botamochi, are sweet rice balls which are usually made with glutious rice. They are commonly eaten during higan periods in spring and autumn. The name, Ohagi, came from autumn flower, hagi (bush clover.) Traditionally, sweet rice balls made during the spring higan are called botamochi which is named after spring flower, botan.
Of course, every shop has its own way to prepare these sweets and there are a number of variations. This is another reason to try many of them!
