Miyagi Prefecture
Zunda mochi

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Image Source : Miyagi Prefecture
- Main lore areas
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All over the prefecture
- Main ingredients used
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Glutinous rice, edamame (soybeans)
- History/origin/related events
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In Miyagi Prefecture, there are many opportunities to eat mochi, and it is said that mochi is eaten without fail at New Year's, weddings, Buddhist memorial services, funerals, and other annual events. In the past, rice cakes were made at home, but in recent years, many people have begun to purchase ready-made rice cakes.
Perhaps because rice cakes are eaten so frequently, there is a wide variety of rice cakes available. There are fusube mochi (rice cakes) made with loach, walnut rice cakes, sesame rice cakes, natto rice cakes, zunda rice cakes, and others. Sesame, walnut, and zunda rice cakes are often served to guests.
Among them, Zunda rice cake is one of the most representative local dishes of Miyagi Prefecture. There are various theories about the name "Zundamochi," including that it was created by a farmer named Jinta, or that Lord Date Masamune crushed edamame (soybeans) with the handle of his sword. It is said that by the end of the Edo period (1603-1867), this dressage became established as zunda, and edamame was already being used. There is also a theory that the name "zunda" (meaning "bean hitting") is a reference to the sound of hitting the beans. Zunda takes a lot of time to make, so in the past, the whole family worked together to make it, including the children who took the beans out of the pods.
The bright green Zunda bean paste is seasoned with sugar and salt, but often only sugar is used to flavor the rice cake.
- Opportunities and times of eating habits
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It is customary to eat rice cakes on occasions such as New Year's, weddings, memorial services, and funerals.
- How to eat
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Freshly pounded rice cake is dipped into the dumpling and eaten. Dumplings on skewers topped with zunda bean paste are also popular.
- Efforts for Preservation and Succession
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(Outline of the people who have passed it on, preservation groups, use of SNS, modern efforts such as commercialization, etc.)
Zunda has already taken root as a local cuisine, and there are many products using Zunda, such as confectionaries. There are also tours that allow visitors to experience "Zunda making". Edamame refers to immature soybeans, and improvements are being made to produce a variety that can be harvested earlier in the season.