is a type of bite-sized Japanese

cracker Cracker, crackers or The Crackers may refer to: Animals * ''Hamadryas'' (butterfly), or crackers, a genus of brush-footed butterflies * '' Sparodon'', a monotypic genus whose species is sometimes known as "Cracker" Arts and entertainment Films ...

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.'' 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 seaweed. Another, , takes its name from its resemblance to a persimmon 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'', 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. by Japanese immigrants who came as plantation workers in the early 1900s. In Hawaii, 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