Imomochi - Traditional Foods in Japan | Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

HokkaidoImomochi

Classification (Large)

Agricultural products

Classification (Small)

Grain products

Main ingredients used

potatoes, potato starch

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Region of inheritance

Throughout all of Hokkaido

Product overview (special characteristics and types)

Imomochi is a local food that is made from potatoes grown in Hokkaido, the top producer of potatoes in Japan, and has been popular in Japanese homes since long ago. It is also called imodango in some regions. Different kinds of imomochi are eaten in different areas, and the type of potato and cooking method used depend on the region. Potatoes are available all year round and eaten irrespective of the season. Imomochi is characterized by its sticky texture, like rice cakes, and danshaku potatoes and kita akari potatoes are considered suitable varieties of potato for imomochi because they are very sweet and sticky.

History and culture

It is said that the history of Hokkaido’s imomochi is a history of land reclamation. At the beginning of the land reclamation in Hokkaido, which started after the Meiji Restoration, there was no established rice growing technique suitable for the cold climate, and the island was facing a serious food shortage. To cope with the problem, people in Hokkaido began to grow potatoes, which were easy to grow, instead of rice. It is said the origin of imomochi began when mochi (rice cakes), which are usually made of rice, were instead made by using potatoes. Subsequently, high-calorie imomochi came to be appreciated as a source of energy by the reclaimers, and also became popular among ordinary people because it was easy to cook and for its tastiness. It was also valued during and after the war, when people suffered from food shortages, and is now loved as a standard snack by a wide range of generations.

Production method

The cooking method is simple. First, peel steamed or boiled potatoes, and then mash them with a wooden spatula or other tool until smooth. Add starch powder evenly, mix well until the mixture is no longer powdery, and shape it into balls. Put butter in a frying pan, bake the potato balls until the surface turns golden brown, and serve. In the Edo period, starch powder was made from the roots of a flower called katakuri and used as a gift to the bakufu (Japan’s feudal government at that time). It is believed that subsequently, starch extracted from potatoes came to be substituted for starch powder made from the flower’s roots, and it was the beginning of the 1880s when production and sale of potato starch powder for the public first started. Accordingly, it is said that imomochi had been made entirely of potatoes until potato starch powder became commonly available. Until then, imomochi had been made by crushing steamed and mashed potatoes in a mortar until they become sticky, shaping the mash into balls, and then baking them.

Conservation and succession efforts

Imomochi is still eaten as a quick snack. It is now sold in various places, such as restaurants, airports, expressway rest areas, and local food fairs. Recently, it has been made available in different forms, such as frozen foods, chilled foods, and imomochi powder that can be mixed with water to make it more quickly, through different sales outlets, such as by mail order and at supermarkets, and now can be eaten quickly anywhere in Japan. Many variations of imomochi, such as those containing long-rooted onions (Allium victorialis subsp. platyphyllum), cheese, and other foodstuffs produced in Hokkaido, are also sold as souvenirs.

Main consumption method

Imomochi covered in a salty-sweet sauce made of sugar and soy sauce like mitarashi dango is the most common way of serving imomochi, but it may be seasoned in different ways depending on the region or home. For example, it may be eaten with a salty sauce or sesame sauce. There are numerous variations of imomochi, such as baked or fried imomochi with cheese or spicy salted cod roe inside. A soup containing imomochi, called [dangojiru], is a standard dish served as a school lunch in Hokkaido.

At-home recipes：Imomochi miso soup

Ingredients

Imomochi

6 pcs.

Water

400 ml

Miso

2 tablespoons

Long green onion (cut into small pieces)

As needed

Japanese soup stock (granules)

1/3 teaspoon

How to make

Boil water and Japanese soup stock in a pot, add imomochi, and heat over low heat until it becomes soft. Turn off the heat, add and dissolve miso, and heat the soup again over medium heat.

Put it in a bowl and add long green onion.