Dango
[Image:Preparing mitarashi dango Mino Gifu.JPG|thumb|right|Yaki dango being prepared]
Dango is a Japanese dumpling made with regular rice flour and glutinous rice flour. They are usually made in round shapes, and three to five pieces are served on a skewer, which is called kushi-dango. The pieces are eaten with sugar, syrup, red bean paste, and other sweeteners. Generally, dango falls under the category of wagashi, and is often served with green tea. It is eaten year-round, but the different varieties are traditionally eaten in given seasons. Dango is sometimes compared with mochi, but is different in that mochi is generally made only with glutinous rice.
Types
The many different varieties of dango are usually named after the various seasonings served on or with it.Popular dango
- Red bean paste is commonly covered with sweetened red bean paste; ingredients other than azuki are used on rare occasions. Other toppings for anko include zunda made from edamame paste and kurumi paste.
- Cha dango is green tea flavored dango.
- Soy sauce is a kind of baked dango and is seasoned with soy sauce. Furthermore, the one wrapped with nori is called isobe dango.
- Hanami dango also known as sanshoku dango is eaten during hanami. It has three colors, and is traditionally made during sakura-viewing season, hence the name. The order of the three colored dumplings is said to represent the order in which cherry blossoms bloom. Pink represents cherry buds, white represents cherry blossoms in full bloom, and green represents leafy cherry blossoms after they have fallen. This one was chosen for the Dango Unicode emoji.
- kibi dango is made with millet flour. This variety is prominently featured in the tale of Momotarō, a folkloric Japanese hero, who offers the rounded ball to three talking animals in exchange for their aid in fighting demons.
- Kinako dango is made with toasted soy flour.
- Kusa dango or yomogi dango is mixed leaves of yomogi, like kusa mochi. It is often covered with anko.
- Mitarashi dango is covered with a syrup made from shouyu, sugar, and starch.
- Sasa dango is produced and eaten primarily in Niigata Prefecture. Sasa dango has two varieties: onna dango and otoko dango. Onna dango is filled with anko, while the otoko dango is filled with kinpira. The dango is wrapped in leaves of sasa for the purpose of preservation.
- Shiratama dango is eaten in anmitsu or mitsumame.
- Tsukimi dango'' is a white dango eaten during Tsukimi, related to the Mid-Autumn festival.
Various other dango
- Botchan dango has three colors. One is colored by red beans, the second by eggs, and the third by green tea. Botchan dango is a product name of Ehime’s miyagegashi, which was named after Natsume Sōseki’s novel Botchan.
- Chichi dango is a slightly sweet, light treat usually eaten as a dessert.
- Denpun dango from Hokkaido is made from potato flour and baked with sweet boiled beans.
- Kuri dango is coated in chestnut paste.
- Meatball is a type of Japanese meatball. Chicken niku dango is called tsukune'', served on a skewer.
Derived terms
A common Japanese proverb "hana yori dango" refers to a preference for practical things rather than aesthetics.A hairstyle consisting of dango-like buns on either side of the head is sometimes known as odango.
Dorodango is a Japanese art form in which earth and water are molded to create a delicate, shiny sphere, resembling a billiard ball.