Hina Arare (雛あられ)
Hina arare is a kind of Japanese confectionery that is offered at the Dolls' Festival (March 3rd).
The Kanto region style hina arare is made by roasting glutinous rice hoshiii (glutinous rice that have been fully dried after being cooked or steamed) and sweetening it with sugar. When coloring the hina arare pink, green or yellow, one can do that either by coloring the hina arare or adding colored sugar over them. Today, hina arare is often made by sugar-coating bean snacks, karinto (dried-dough stick-shaped cookies), millet or rice cake, or puffed rice.
In the Chubu and western Japan areas, round-shaped, ordinary salt- or soy sauce-flavored arare (rice crackers) is made as hina arare.