🍡 Kibi-mochi / Awa-mochi / Tochi-mochi (Miscellaneous grains Mochi)

Kyoto Prefecture has the Tango Mountains in the north, the Tanba Mountains in the center, and a low mountain range of less than 1000 meters, and most of the area from the Chutan region to the Nantan region is mountainous. From the Tamba Mountains, large and small rivers, including the Katsura River, flow between the mountains, and satoyama (area between pristine nature and urban areas, made up of villages, farmland, and secondary forests etc.) are scattered throughout the prefecture. In mountainous areas where there is little flat land, rice and wheat cannot be harvested sufficiently, so mochi (rice cakes), were made from miscellaneous grains, such as "kibi" (common millet), "awa" (foxtail millet), or “tochi-no-mi" (Japanese horse chesnuts). In times when rice could not be produced sufficiently, mochi were eaten as a substitute for the staple food. Mochi made with miscellaneous grains are eaten in many parts of Japan, other than Kyoto Prefecture. Miscellaneous grains, used to be grown everywhere, but since rice has been bred to be easier to grow, miscellaneous grains have conversely become scarce. In recent years, however, miscellaneous grains have been attracting more and more attention as a healthy food due to their high nutritional value.