Mochitsuki

Mochi (餅) is a cake made of glutinous rice pounded into a paste-like consistency and molded into a small flat bottomed sphere. In Japan it is traditionally made in a ceremony called a mochitsuki. While eaten year-round, mochi is also a traditional food for shogatsu; often added to a simple but delicious vegetable soup called (o)Zōni. I had the chance to visit a traditional Japanese home in the Kobe mountains, where we had a mochitsuki with rice that was prepared on a kamado - pictured. A kamado is a traditional Japanese wood or charcoal fired earthen vessel used as a stove or oven.