Sweets
Abekawa Mochi
Abekawa mochi — fresh-pounded rice cake dusted in sweetened soybean flour
Fresh-pounded rice cake is dusted in soybean flour mixed with sugar. Named for the Abe River, it's said to have been famous among Tokaido travelers as a teahouse specialty and to appear in the travel novel Tokaidochu Hizakurige.
- Origin: Shizuoka City, Shizuoka
- About 150 km southwest of Tokyo
Lineage
What it's made of
Abekawa mochi is freshly pounded rice cake coated in roasted soybean flour mixed with sugar, a specialty of the central region around Shizuoka city. The name comes from the Abe River that runs through the prefecture; one account says Tokugawa Ieyasu himself named it, while another holds that it became known through teahouses along the Abe River that sold it as their specialty. It reportedly appears in Jippensha Ikku's travel account 'Tokaidochu Hizakurige.'
How it's made
Freshly pounded rice cake is coated in soybean flour mixed with sugar. When using packaged rice cake instead, it is toasted first, briefly dipped in hot water, then coated the same way. It is typically made at home as a snack or light meal, and the versions sold in shops sometimes come wrapped in sweet red bean paste instead of soybean flour.
Why it took this shape
Shops selling Abekawa mochi still line the foot of the Abe River bridge, some reportedly with two centuries of history behind them. Its fame among travelers on the old Tokaido road is said to be part of why it took hold, and shops have also developed versions that keep well, making it a popular souvenir for visitors from outside the prefecture.
Before you go
- How to shop in a depachika (department store food hall)A guide to browsing prepared foods and bento, choosing wagashi as a gift with a good shelf life, sampling etiquette, end-of-day discounts, asking for cold packs and wrapping, and finding your way around a depachika floor.
- At kissaten, cafes, and kanmi-dokoroThe difference between jun-kissa and chain cafes, the morning-set custom, and kanmi-dokoro staples like anmitsu and zenzai.
Dishes in the same style
- Iga ManjuSweet bean paste is wrapped in rice flour dough, then coated with dyed sticky rice grains. One account ties the name to the grains' resemblance to a chestnut's spiny husk, and in the western Mikawa region it's said to be offered to Hina dolls at the Doll Festival.
- Aka MochiReddish sorghum flour is kneaded with hot water, boiled into dumplings, and coated with sweet bean paste or soybean flour. In flood-prone areas where rice and wheat often failed, sorghum alone survived, making this a stand-in staple.
Ingredients and dishes from this land
Related lineage
- Tororo JiruGrated wild mountain yam is thinned with dashi and miso, then poured over barley rice. A specialty of the old Tokaido post town of Marico, in present-day Shizuoka, it's said to appear in Jippensha Ikku's travel novel and a Basho haiku, once favored by travelers on the road.
- Tamago FuwafuwaMade from nothing but egg and dashi, this clear soup is whipped into a soft, foamy texture. A travel diary from the Edo period is said to record it being served for breakfast at the Fukuroi post town's main inn, later revived by the local tourism association.
Also from Shizuoka
- BokumeshiSteamed eel and shaved burdock are simmered together and folded into freshly cooked rice. Its name is said to trace to oversized eels unfit for sale, used in staff meals at eel farms along the Oi River — a mixed rice dish of the region.
- Fuji KinkaBred by Shizuoka Prefecture by crossing its own Duroc line, Fujirock, with Jinhua, a rare breed from China's Zhejiang province — found only in Shizuoka. Said to combine Jinhua's tenderness with Fujirock's marbling.
- Fujieda Asa RamenA town that eats ramen at breakfast — often a hot bowl followed by a cold one.
- Fujinomiya YakisobaIt grew up as a postwar snack at Fujinomiya's candy shops and okonomiyaki stalls. Its identity rests on three local staples: chewy steamed noodles, pork-lard cracklings called nikukasu, and a sardine-powder topping called dashiko.
- GawaRaw bonito is minced and mixed into a chilled miso broth with cucumber, pickled plum, and shiso. Its name is said to come from the "gawa-gawa" sound of stirring miso into ice water aboard a fishing boat — originally a summer meal made at sea.
- Gennari ZushiVinegared rice packed with sweet-simmered carrot is pressed in a mold and topped with pink and white flaked golden eye snapper. Made for weddings and coming-of-age celebrations, its name is said to come from how filling — gennari, or wearying — just eating it could be.