Kagami mochi

Photo: Flickr.com user "tanakawho", CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Kagami mochi

가가미모치

Japanese dessert consisting of 2 round mochi, the smaller placed atop the larger, and a daidai with an attached leaf on top, with a sheet of konbu and a skewer of dried persimmons under the mochi

About this dish

Kagami mochi (鏡餅, "mirror rice cake") is a traditional Japanese New Year decoration. It usually consists of two round mochi (rice cakes), the smaller placed atop the larger, and a daidai (a Japanese bitter orange) with an attached leaf on top. In addition, it may have a sheet of konbu and a skewer of dried persimmons under the mochi. It sits on a stand called a sanpō (三宝) over a sheet called a shihōbeni (四方紅), which is supposed to ward off fires from the house for the following years. Sheets of paper called gohei (御幣) folded into lightning shapes similar to those seen on sumo wrestler's belts are also attached. Kagami mochi first appeared in the Muromachi period (14th-16th century). The name kagami ("mirror") is said to have originated from its resemblance to an old-fashioned kind of round copper or bronze mirror, which also had a religious significance. The reason for it is not clear.

Description: Wikipedia — Kagami mochi, CC BY-SA 4.0

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