Sasadango is a sweet of specialty in Niigata Prefecture.
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If you are from Southern Asian countries, you must be very familiar with these kinds of leaf-wrapped foods.
Sasadango is made of mugwort-flavored mochi (glutinous rice cake) with anko (sweet red beans paste) inside wrapped in the leaves of sasa bamboo. We Japanese appreciate the fragrance of mugwort and sasa bamboo leaf.
Sasadango, has its roots as a portable food in the Warring States Period in 16th century. Later, every family made many during the holiday periods.
Today, sasadango is made by many confectioneries and sold at many shops in the prefecture.
For example, a shop in Echigo-yuzawa Station sells sasadango of nearly ten confectioneries.
Webmaster bought two bags of different confectioneries with five sasadango each.
Now, Webmaster tells you how to eat it. It’s easy.
Untie the string and open the wrapping leaves from one side.
Hold the other end and eat as if you eat a banana.
Enjoy sasadango and other Japanese sweets!
End.