is a Japanese dumpling made from

rice flour Rice flour (also rice powder) is a form of flour made from finely milled rice. It is distinct from rice starch, which is usually produced by steeping rice in lye. Rice flour is a common substitute for wheat flour. It is also used as a thickening ...

mixed with uruchi rice flour and glutinous rice flour. It is different from the method of making

mochi is a Japanese rice cake made of , a short-grain japonica glutinous rice, and sometimes other ingredients such as water, sugar, and cornstarch. The rice is pounded into paste and molded into the desired shape. In Japan, it is traditionally ma ...

, which is made after steaming glutinous rice. ''Dango'' is usually finished round shaped, three to five ''dango'' are often served on a

skewer A skewer is a thin metal or wood stick used to hold pieces of food together. The word may sometimes be used as a metonym, to refer to the entire food item served on a skewer, as in "chicken skewers". Skewers are used while grilling or roasting ...

(skewered ''dango'' pieces called ). Generally, ''dango'' comes under the category of

wagashi are traditional Japanese confections that are often served with green tea, especially the types made of ''mochi'', ''anko'' ( azuki bean paste), and fruit. ''Wagashi'' are typically made from plant-based ingredients. History In Japan, the wo ...

, and is often served with green tea. It is eaten year-round, but the different varieties are traditionally eaten in given seasons.

Types

The many different varieties of ''dango'' are usually named after the various seasonings served on or with it.

Popular dango

* is commonly covered with sweetened red bean paste; ingredients other than ''

azuki ''Vigna angularis'', also known as the adzuki bean , azuki bean, aduki bean, red bean, or red mung bean, is an annual vine widely cultivated throughout East Asia for its small (approximately long) bean. The cultivars most familiar in East As ...

'' are used on rare occasions. Other toppings for anko include made from

edamame is a preparation of immature soybeans in the pod, found in cuisines with origins in East Asia. The pods are boiled or steamed and may be served with salt or other condiments. In Japan, they are usually blanched in 4% salt water for 5 minut ...

paste and kurumi (

walnut A walnut is the edible seed of a drupe of any tree of the genus ''Juglans'' (family Juglandaceae), particularly the Persian or English walnut, '' Juglans regia''. Although culinarily considered a "nut" and used as such, it is not a true ...

) paste. * is green tea (matcha) flavored ''dango''. * is a kind of baked dango (), and is seasoned with soy sauce. Furthermore, the one wrapped with

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 ...

is called . * is covered with sesame paste. It is both sweet and salty. * is to eat during

hanami is the Japanese traditional custom of enjoying the transient beauty of flowers; in this case almost always refer to those of the or, less frequently, trees. From the end of March to early May, cherry trees bloom all over Japan, and around ...

. It has three colors (pink, green, white), and is traditionally made during '' sakura''-viewing season, hence the name (''hanami'' means "flower viewing"; ''hana'' meaning "flower", and ''mi'' meaning "to see"). 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. * is made with millet flour. This variety is prominently featured in the tale of

Momotarō is a popular hero of Japanese folklore. His name is often translated as ''Peach Boy'', but is directly translated as ''Peach + Tarō'', a common Japanese given name. ''Momotarō'' is also the title of various books, films and other works that p ...

, a folkloric Japanese hero, who offers the rounded ball (not skewered) to three talking animals in exchange for their aid in fighting demons. * is made with toasted soy flour. * is mixed leaves of yomogi, like

kusa mochi Kusa or KUSA may refer to: * Kusa, Russia, a town in Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia * Kusa, Latvia, a village in Madona District, Latvia * Kusa, Oklahoma, United States * Kusa, indigenous name of Beles River (in Gumuz language) * Kusa, Afghanistan ...

. It is often covered with '' anko''. * is covered with a syrup made from ''

shouyu 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 fermentation (food), fermented paste of soybeans, roasted cereal, grain, brine, and ''As ...

'' (soy sauce), sugar, and starch. * is produced and eaten primarily in

Niigata Prefecture is a prefecture in the Chūbu region of Honshu of Japan. Niigata Prefecture has a population of 2,227,496 (1 July 2019) and is the fifth-largest prefecture of Japan by geographic area at . Niigata Prefecture borders Toyama Prefecture and ...

. ''Sasa dango'' has two varieties: ''onna dango'' and ''otoko dango''. ''Onna dango'' (literally "female dango") is filled with anko, while the ''otoko dango'' (literally "male dango") is filled with ''

kinpira is a Japanese cooking style that can be summarized as a technique of sauté and simmer. The most common dish made with this technique is Kinpira Gobo, braised burdock root. Kinpira is commonly used to cook root vegetables such as carrots, burd ...

''. The ''dango'' is wrapped in leaves of sasa for the purpose of preservation. * is eaten in

anmitsu Anmitsu (, rarely ) is a Japanese dessert that dates to the Meiji era. It is made of small cubes of agar jelly, a white translucent jelly made from red algae. The agar is dissolved with water (or fruit juice such as apple juice) to make the je ...

mitsumame is a Japanese dessert. It is made of small cubes of agar jelly, a white translucent jelly made from red algae or seaweed. The agar is dissolved with water (or fruit juice such as apple juice) to make the jelly. It is served in a bowl with ...

. * is white dango to eat during

Tsukimi or , meaning, "''moon-viewing"'', are Japanese festivals honoring the autumn moon, a variant of the Mid-Autumn Festival. The celebration of the full moon typically takes place on the 15th day of the eighth month of the traditional Japanese cal ...

. It is traditionally made during autumn

full moon The full moon is the lunar phase when the Moon appears fully illuminated from Earth's perspective. This occurs when Earth is located between the Sun and the Moon (when the ecliptic longitudes of the Sun and Moon differ by 180°). This means ...

( Mid-Autumn Festival).

Various other 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 is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Ehime Prefecture has a population of 1,342,011 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 5,676 km2 (2,191 sq mi). Ehime Prefecture borders Kagawa Prefecture to the northeast, Tok ...

’s

miyagegashi Miyagegashi, also , refers to a sweet made with the purpose of selling it as a souvenir. As with most other Japanese souvenirs (omiyage), the typical miyagegashi is a regional specialty (meibutsu) and cannot be bought outside its specific geograph ...

, which was named after

Natsume Sōseki , born , was a Japanese novelist. He is best known around the world for his novels ''Kokoro'', ''Botchan'', ''I Am a Cat'', '' Kusamakura'' and his unfinished work '' Light and Darkness''. He was also a scholar of British literature and writer ...

’s novel '' Botchan''. * is a slightly sweet, light treat usually eaten as a dessert. * from

Hokkaido is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The lar ...

is made from potato flour and baked with sweet boiled beans. * is coated in chestnut paste. * is a type of Japanese

meatball A meatball is ground meat rolled into a ball, sometimes along with other ingredients, such as bread crumbs, minced onion, eggs, butter, and seasoning. Meatballs are cooked by frying, baking, steaming, or braising in sauce. There are many type ...

. Chicken ''niku dango'' is called ''

tsukune is a Japanese chicken meatball most often cooked yakitori style (but also can be fried, baked, or boiled) and sometimes covered in a sweet soy or yakitori ''tare'', which is often mistaken for teriyaki sauce. Summary Thickeners are added to ...

'', served on a

Derived terms

A common

Japanese proverb A may take the form of: *a , *an , or *a . Although "proverb" and "saying" are practically synonymous, the same cannot be said about "idiomatic phrase" and "four-character idiom". Not all ''kan'yōku'' and ''yojijukugo'' are proverbial. For in ...

refers to a preference for practical things rather than aesthetics. A

hairstyle A hairstyle, hairdo, haircut or coiffure refers to the styling of hair, usually on the human scalp. Sometimes, this could also mean an editing of facial or body hair. The fashioning of hair can be considered an aspect of personal groomi ...

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.

In Vietnam

Bánh hòn is a specialty dessert of

Phan Thiet Phan may refer to: * Phan (surname), a Vietnamese family name * Phan District, Chiang Rai Province, Thailand * Phan River, Bình Thuận Province, Vietnam * Phan (tray), a tray with a pedestal, used often for ritual offerings {{Disambiguat ...

. The cake is made from tapioca flour, coconut, roasted peanuts, salt and sugar. When finished, it is rolled over shredded coconut and skewered like Japanese dango.

Unicode character

The Unicode emoji character 🍡 is used to resemble

dango. The character was introduced in October 2010.

References

{{Dumplings Dumplings Japanese rice dishes Skewered foods Wagashi