Dango

Dango
Mitarashi dango
TypeSweets, Dumpling
Place of originJapan
Main ingredientsRice flour
  •  Wikimedia Commons logo Media: Dango
Yaki dango being prepared

Dango (団子) is a Japanese dumpling made with regular rice flour and glutinous rice flour. They are usually made in round shapes, and three to five pieces are served on a skewer, which is called kushi-dango (串団子). The pieces are eaten with sugar, syrup, red bean paste, and other sweeteners. Generally, dango falls under the category of wagashi (Japanese confectionery), and is often served with green tea. It is eaten year-round, but the different varieties are traditionally eaten in given seasons. Dango is sometimes compared with mochi, but is different in that mochi is generally made only with glutinous rice.

Types

Mitarashi dango, covered with sugar and soy sauce

The many different varieties of dango are usually named after the various seasonings served on or with it.

Various dango being sold at a store
Walnut-miso dango being prepared over a charcoal fire on Mount Takao, 2024

Various other dango

Derived terms

A common Japanese proverb "hana yori dango" (花より団子; literally, "dango rather than flowers") refers to a preference for practical things rather than aesthetics.

A hairstyle consisting of dango-like buns on either side of the head is sometimes known as odango.

Dorodango is a Japanese art form in which earth and water are molded to create a delicate, shiny sphere, resembling a billiard ball.

In Vietnam

Bánh hòn is a specialty dessert of Phan Thiet. The cake is made from tapioca flour, coconut, roasted peanuts, salt and sugar. When finished, it is rolled over shredded coconut and skewered like Japanese dango.[citation needed]

Unicode character

The Unicode emoji character 🍡 is used to resemble hanami dango. The character was introduced in October 2010.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "団子" [Dango]. Kotobank (in Japanese). Retrieved 3 April 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. ↑ "Dango Digest: A Thorough Look at Japanese Dumplings, Part Two". The Anime Blog. 14 April 2008. Archived from the original on 9 February 2010.
  3. ↑ "Wagashi: Chadango and Minazuki". Kyoto Foodie. 1 July 2008. Retrieved 28 March 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. 1 2 Rath, Eric C. (2015). "dango". In Goldstein, Darra (ed.). The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets. Oxford University Press. p. 207. ISBN 978-0-19-931339-6.
  5. ↑ "Niku Dango". Sumo Kitchen. Archived from the original on 23 October 2017. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
  6. ↑ Davies, Roger J. The Book of Japanese Culture: A Guide to Tradition and Contemporary Life. Tuttle Publishing, 2019, pp. 112–115.
  7. ↑ "Unicode Character 'DANGO' (U+1F361)". FileFormat.info. Retrieved 2 March 2017.