What is Mochi-tsuki?
Mochi-tsuki (餅つき) is a Japanese tradition of pounding rice to make mochi. Mochi is a Japanese rice cake and it is known as an important food for festivals and ceremonies especially for the new years celebration.
History of Mochi-tsuki:
Eating mochi symbolizes praying for health and it has the idea of bringing good luck during new years. This tradition has a long history and has started during the Heian Period (794-1185 CE).
How do you make mochi?
To make mochi you will mainly use two materials. The equipment that looks like a large wooden hammer is called kine in Japanese which is used to pound mochi. The picture on the bottom that looks like a wooden bowl is called usu. The reason why kine is used is because pounding mochi keeps the mochi chewy, sticky, and also it pushes out the air bubbles.
How do you cook mochi?
There are multiple ways to cook mochi. The first common way is to simply bake it. Baked mochi is usually served with soy sauce mixed with sugar. The second way is a Japanese new year soup called ozoni. This dish is cooked with multiple ingredients such as chicken and vegetables.
Sources used for this article
https://nara-sightseeing.com/blog/the-tradition-of-mochitsuki/#:~:text=Mochitsuki%20(rice%20cake%2Dmaking),for%20human%20 consumption%20as%20 well.
https://web-japan.org/kidsweb/explore/calendar/december/mochitsuki.html#:~:text=Mochi%2Dtsuki%2C%20or%20pounding%20rice,around%20 December%2025%20to%2028.
https://www.justonecookbook.com/what-is-mochi-japanese-rice-cake/#:~:text=Mochi%20sweets%20or%20 mochigashi%20
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