is a type of bite-sized

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

cracker made from

glutinous rice Glutinous rice (''Oryza sativa var. glutinosa''; also called sticky rice, sweet rice or waxy rice) is a type of rice grown mainly in Southeast and East Asia, and the northeastern regions of South Asia, which has opaque grains, very low amylose ...

and flavored with

soy sauce Soy sauce (also called simply soy in American English and soya sauce in British English) is a liquid condiment of Chinese origin, traditionally made from a fermented paste of soybeans, roasted grain, brine, and '' Aspergillus oryzae'' or ''Asp ...

. The size and shapes are what distinguish ''arare'' from ''

senbei are a type of Japanese rice cracker. They come in various shapes, sizes, and flavors, usually savory but sometimes sweet. Senbei are often eaten with green tea as a casual snack and offered to visiting house guests as a courtesy refreshment. ...

.'' The name is chosen to evoke hailstones – smaller arare are similar in size and shape to hailstones, though others can vary significantly in size, flavor and shape. Arare is also called kakimochi or mochi crunch in Hawaii where it was introduced in the 1900s.

Types

There are many different sizes, colors, and shapes of ''arare''. Some are sweet, and others savory. One, called ''norimaki arare'' (nori meaning an edible seaweed in the form of a dried sheet; maki meaning roll shape) is wrapped with dried

nori Nori is a dried edible seaweed used in Japanese cuisine, made from species of the red algae genus ''Pyropia'', including ''P. yezonesis'' and '' P. tenera''. It has a strong and distinctive flavor, and is often used to wrap rolls of sushi or '' ...

seaweed. Another, , takes its name from its resemblance to a

persimmon The persimmon is the edible fruit of a number of species of trees in the genus ''Diospyros''. The most widely cultivated of these is the Oriental persimmon, ''Diospyros kaki'' ''Diospyros'' is in the family Ebenaceae, and a number of non-pers ...

seed. (''Kaki'' is Japanese for "persimmon".) ''Kaki no tane'' are often sold with peanuts, a combination called . These are a popular snack to accompany

Japanese beer Beer in Japan mostly comes from the country's four major breweries, Asahi, Kirin, Sapporo and Suntory, which mainly produce pale lagers around 5% ABV. Beer is immensely popular, far ahead of sake consumption. As well as Pilsner style lagers, t ...

Culture

Japanese typically consume ''arare'' to celebrate ''

Hinamatsuri , also called Doll's Day or Girls' Day, is a religious (Shinto) holiday in Japan, celebrated on 3March of each year. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric (2005)"Hina Matsuri"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 313. Platforms covered with a red carpet–mater ...

'', the "doll festival" held on 3 March. The ''arare'' made during the festival are multicolored, in shades including pink, yellow, white, brown and light green. Regular ''arare'' can be bought throughout the year, but the colorful ones are only available around January to March in anticipation of ''Hinamatsuri''. ''Arare'' was brought to the

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

Japanese immigrants The Japanese diaspora and its individual members, known as Nikkei (日系) or as Nikkeijin (日系人), comprise the Japanese emigrants from Japan (and their descendants) residing in a country outside Japan. Emigration from Japan was recorded a ...

who came as plantation workers in the early 1900s. In

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

, the snack is often called ''kakimochi'' (fried rice paste). In Hawaii, it is popular to mix ''arare'' with popcorn (some people mix in ''

furikake is a dry Japanese condimentJapanese Furikake (Rice Seasoning)
. Japanese Kitchen. Accessed 28 ...

'', too). The popular "Hurricane popcorn" includes both ''arare'' and ''furikake'' with the popcorn.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arare (Food) Beika Glutinous rice dishes Japanese snack food Wagashi

Types

Culture

See also

References