🍚 Mitsume no Botamochi (Sweet bean-filled rice cakes)

Mitsumeno Botamochi' refers to the large rice cakes eaten three days after the birth of the first child. There is a theory that the origin of Botamochi dates back to a time when it was difficult to obtain sufficient food, when mothers were fed large Botamochi made of nutritious glutinous rice and red beans to nourish their children immediately after giving birth. It is also said that there was a custom of distributing food packed in boxes to relatives and neighbors, greeting them as the baby was born. While this tradition was observed in many regions during the Edo period, it is currently limited to certain areas, including Ibaraki Prefecture (such as Kashima City, Kamisu City, Mito City), as well as some regions in Chiba Prefecture (Choshi City, Ichihara City), Kanagawa Prefecture, Aichi Prefecture, and others. In recent times, the practice of making 'Mitsumeno Botamochi' at home has become less common, and it is often purchased or ordered from traditional Japanese sweet shops.