🍡 Kurumi Mochi

Kurumi Mochi is a traditional confectionery that is unique to Sakai. Despite its name, it does not contain any walnuts. The name "Kurumi Mochi" comes from the fact that the rice cake is wrapped in a brownish-red bean paste. It can also be written in Chinese characters as "久留美," which means to keep the taste for a long time. The bean paste is made from edamame or green soybeans, but in mountain villages where rice paddies are scarce, dried soybeans are used instead of edamame. During the Warring States Period, Sakai was a prosperous port for overseas trade. Confectioners in Sakai used agricultural products purchased from overseas to make rice cakes covered with red bean paste, which is said to be the origin of walnut rice cakes. The town was also the birthplace of Sen no Rikyu, the famous tea master of the time. The tea ceremony culture flourished among the wealthy merchants of the time, and walnut mochi were also loved as tea cakes.