Sasa-Dango

Sasa-dango, bamboo leaf-wrapped rice cakes, is a traditional Niigata sweet for the boy's festival on May 5, but because of its popularity and identity as a specialty of this area, is available most of the year. The history of this confection stems from a story of a general of Echigo, named Uesugi Yoshinobu, who was said to carry the sweet as a supplemental food on long journeys. Sasa-dango is made from glutinous rice that is steamed and pounded into mochi (rice cake) then spiced with mugwort. The mochi is wrapped around bean jam, and both are wrapped and tied with sasa bamboo leaves. The delicious little package is then steamed, which leaves a hint of the taste of the bamboo inside the mochi. Absolutely delicious and they have one of the most environmentally friendly and pleasing packages that I have ever seen - like little gifts.