Daifuku

Daifuku

Daifukumochi (大福餅), or Daifuku (大福) (literally "great luck"), is a Japanese confection consisting of a small round mochi (glutinous rice cake) stuffed with sweet filling, most commonly anko, sweetened red bean paste made from azuki beans. Daifuku comes in many varieties. The most common is white-, pale green-, or pale pink-colored mochi filled with anko. These come in two sizes, one approximately the diameter of a half-dollar coin, the other palm-sized. Some versions contain whole pieces of fruit, mixtures of fruit and anko, or crushed melon paste. Nearly all daifuku are covered in a fine layer of corn or potato starch to keep them from sticking to each other, or to the fingers. Some are covered with confectioner's sugar or cocoa powder. Though mochitsuki is the traditional method of making mochi and daifuku, they can also be cooked in the microwave.

History

Daifuku was originally called Harabuto mochi (腹太餅) (belly thick rice cake) because of its filling nature. Later, the name was changed to Daifuku mochi (大腹餅) (big belly rice cake). Since the pronunciations of Fuku (腹) (belly) and Fuku (福) (luck) are the same in Japanese, the name was further changed to Daifuku mochi (大福餅) (great luck rice cake), a bringer of good luck. By the end of the 18th century, Daifuku were gaining popularity and people began eating them toasted. They were also used for gifts in ceremonial occasions.

Varieties

Yomogi daifuku (蓬大福)

A version made with kusa mochi (草餅), which is mochi flavored with mugwort.

Ichigo daifuku (イチゴ大福)

A variation containing strawberry and sweet filling, most commonly anko, inside a small round mochi. Creams are sometimes used for sweet filling. Because it contains strawberry, it is usually eaten during the springtime. It was invented in the 1980s. Many patisseries claim to have invented the confection, so its exact origin is vague.

Yukimi Daifuku (雪見だいふく)

A brand of mochi ice cream made by the company Lotte.

See also

• Nuomizi