🍡 Mikan Mochi (Mandarin Mochi)

Wakayama Prefecture is one of the top mandarin oranges producing prefecture. Especially Arita area, origin of ‘Arita Mikan', most mountains are covered with mandarin plantation. In 1574, Magoemon Ito, local farmer from Arita City, brought young mandarin trees from Yatsushiro, (current Kumamoto Prefecture), then planted in Arita. It is the origin of ‘Arita Mikan'. Arita City is mountainous and faces at the sea, and has less flat land. On the other hand, its mild climate is advantage for growing mandarin. Therefore, Kishu Domain (currently Wakayama Prefecture) promoted growing mandarin, and it became thriving. After that, the mandarin trees Ito brought were prevailed, which made Arita area ‘small mandarin in Kishu' producing area. In 1634, Tobei Takigawara, a tangerine farmer, delivered Kishu mandarin to Edo (current Tokyo) for the first time, Arita mandarin became popular in Edo. When they could not ship due to bad weather in November, 1685, Bunzaemon Kinokuniya, a local merchant, leaned the price of mandarin got skyrocketing in Edo. Then he delivered mandarin by ship in the bad weather and made fortune. ‘Mikan Mochi' (mandarin mochi) is developed during the research of the local cuisine. Mandarins are placed on the glutinous rice and steamed together, then pounded together after the skin of mandarins are removed. It has beautiful color and smells good, and you can enjoy refreshing sour flavor.