Umegae mochi 梅ヶ枝餅
A thin rice-flour cake filled with sweet red bean paste and grilled in an iron mould, sold along the approach to Dazaifu Tenmangu shrine in Fukuoka.
About Umegae mochi
- What it is: Rice-flour dough around red bean paste, grilled in an iron mould stamped with a plum blossom, so it is crisp outside and soft and chewy inside. Despite the name, it contains no plum.
- Where to try it: Along the shrine approach (sando) from Dazaifu Station to Dazaifu Tenmangu, where dozens of shops grill it fresh, each with its own taste. Some stalls sell out or close in the late afternoon, so go earlier in the day.
- Background: Legend says that when the scholar Sugawara no Michizane lived in hardship in Dazaifu, an old woman brought him mochi on a plum branch.
- How to eat it: Tea houses on the approach serve it with matcha. On the 25th of each month a green version made with yomogi (mugwort) is sold.
- Price: Usually a little over a hundred yen a piece.
SeasonAll year
Known for it
- FukuokaDazaifu, on the approach to Dazaifu Tenmangu
Checked against: Complete Guide to Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine | FUN! JAPAN · Umegae Mochi Dazaifu: Flavor, How to Eat, and Buying as Gifts | JEEPE · Enjoy food, shopping, and workshops along with paying respects on the Dazaifu Sando! | Crossroad Fukuoka.
Umegae mochi on Shibuya246
Photos and stories from the blog, as they were written at the time.
Travel
Dazaifu Omotesando
In August 2010 I took the Nishitetsu train out from Fukuoka to Dazaifu. I already posted the photos of Dazaifu Tenmangu itself; these are from the walk up…