Mochi (Japanese: 餠, もち) is Japanese rice cake made of mochigome, a short- grain japonica glutinous rice, and sometimes other ingredients like water, sugar, and cornstarch. The rice is pounded into paste and molded into the desired shape. In Japan it is traditionally made in a ceremony called mochitsuki. While also eaten year-round, mochi is a traditional food for the Japanese New Year and is commonly sold and eaten during that time.
Mochi is a multicomponent food consisting of polysaccharides, lipids, protein and water. Mochi has a heterogeneous structure of amylopectin gel, starch grains, and air bubbles. This rice is characterized by its low level of amylose starch, and is derived from short- or medium- grain japonica rices. The protein concentration of the rice is higher than that of normal short- grain rice, and the two also differ in amylose content. In mochi rice, the amylose content is negligible, and the amylopectin level is high, which results in its gel- like consistency.Mochi is similar to dango, but is made using pounded intact grains of rice, while dango is made of rice flour.
History and origin
The pounding process of making mochi originates from China, where glutinous rice has been grown and used for thousands of years.
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