The Skills and Secrets Behind Mochi’s Distinctive Chew
Brian Kito, the third-generation owner of Los Angeles wagashi confectionery Fugetsu-Do, speaks about the age-old techniques that give mochi its abiding appeal.
February 9, 2022
6 minute read
- Share:
Fugetsu-Do, the oldest business in Los Angeles’s Little Tokyo district, specializes in mochi, a popular variety of Japanese sweets made from a glutinous short-grain rice called mochigome, which is soaked overnight, then steamed and pounded into a soft, sticky dough. A mainstay of Japanese festivals and New Year celebrations, these bite-sized orbs are traditionally filled with white or red bean paste and trace their roots back to ancient Shinto rituals, where they were made as offerings to thank the deities for bountiful rice harvests.