Every Japanese festival has it’s traditional sweet and for sure there’s one as well for “Kodomo no hi” the “Boy’s festival” on May 5th which is called “Kashiwa mochi”.
Let’s have a look!
“Kashiwa mochi” as the name said, is a mochi-based sweet wrapped in a big leaf of Kashiwa tree.
Unlike the “sakura mochi” where the “sakura” tree leaf is edible, it’s not the case with “Kashiwa mochi”.
The leaf is here to give some perfume to the cake and as a decoration.
Classic “Kashiwa mochi” are made from white mochi filled with red bean paste, but there are other classic variations.
You can have fillings made with sweet and savory white miso paste, or like in the picture, black sesame paste or sweet potato.
Those sweets are delicious with a cup of tea.
Around May, you can buy them everywhere in Japanese sweets stores, but also in supermarkets and even some convenience stores.
It’s quite cheap, around 100-150 yen depending on the place.
The “Kashiwa” leaf, a Japanese oak leaf, symbolizes longevity.
Oak leaves don’t fall from trees before new buds are grown up, like parents who don’t die before their children grow up.
Enjoy the exotic flavor of the Kashiwa leaves!
More about Kashiwa mochi in Indonesian:
http://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kashiwamochi
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