🍡 Ibitsu Mochi (Red bean paste mochi)

It is nationally known as "kashiwa mochi," a rice cake filled with sweet bean paste and wrapped in sarutori-ibara leaf (saltoleaf). Mochi is an essential part of celebratory meals on special occasions, particularly during the Children's Day season. In Hyogo Prefecture, as there were not many naturally occurring kashiwa (oak) leaves, saltoleaf was used as a substitute. The name "ibitsumochi" is said to originate from the irregular shape of the sarutori-ibara. While it is called "ibitsumochi" in Awaji, in Kobe and Tanba, it is known as "kashiwamochi", in Kitaharima as "hyottode", and in Nishiharima as "batako", with different names depending on the region.