🍡 Beta-mochi (Wheat cake with Kinako)

In Fukuoka Prefecture, where wheat production is large, many farmers have been growing wheat in addition to rice. Wheat is powdered in each household and made into Dango, which is eaten as a snack during farm work or as a hospitality for guests, and is always made during "Sanabori". The word "Sanabori" is said to be derived from "Sanobori," or "ascending to the heavens," as the god of rice fields rises to the heavens after watching the planting of rice. It has been passed down to the present day as an important event for farmers to thank the god of rice fields for the safe completion of rice planting, to thank those who participated in rice planting, and to wish for a bountiful autumn harvest with a banquet and feast. The word "Beta-mochi" comes from "Beta," a fish caught in the Buzen Sea. In the area around Buzen City, the tongue sole is familiarly called "Beta" and is a common fish eaten locally. The name "Beta-mochi" is said to have come to be associated with the word "Beta" of the tongue sole in this region, as "Beta-mochi" is made into a flat shape like a "Beta" fish.