Ankoromochi (あんころ餅)
Ankoromochi is a type of Japanese confectionery.
Summary
It is a freshly made rice cake covered with azuki bean paste. The origin of the word is believed to be "餡衣餅"(reads ankoromomochi) as bean jam (餡: reads an) is like a clothe (衣: reads koromo) to rice cake (餅: reads mochi), which in time became Ankoromochi. Sometimes Ankoromochi is regarded in the same light as Botamochi (rice ball coated with sweetened red beans, soybean flour or sesame), but can normally be differentiated as its contents is rice cake.
It is a custom in Kinki and Hokuriku regions (especially in Kyoto City and Kanazawa City) to eat Ankoromochi on the first day of "Doyo of summer" (midsummer), and Ankoromochi is also called Doyomochi.
The origin of the custom is not known, but Doyomochi is eaten for vitality and to withstand the hot summer days, which is a similar custom to eating eel.
Ankoromochi is said to have made into bite-size pieces in the Edo period for tired travellers to eat it with ease.
Ankoromochi can be found in various places in Japan, and is often used as a sweet souvenir.
Area famous for Ankoromochi
Kurashiki City, Kojima - a famous product of Mt. Yuga