Mikan mochi

About Mikan mochi

Wakayama Prefecture boasts one of the leading tangerines production in Japan. In particular, the Arita region, which is the production area of Arita mandarin oranges, is a mountain called a mountain.
It is said that it began in 1574 by Magoemon ITO of Itoga, Arita City, brought and planted tangerine seedlings from Yatsushiro, Higo Province, Kyushu (Kumamoto Prefecture). Arita City has a close mountain and sea and few plains suitable for rice cultivation, but the temperate climate is suitable for cultivation of mandarin oranges. Therefore, the Kishu Domain recommended the cultivation of mandarin oranges and began to be cultivated actively. After that, it is said that the tangerine tree brought back by Magoemon ITO was spread, and the production area of 'Kishu Komikan', which is the prototype of today's Arita mandarin oranges, was born. Furthermore, when Tobe Takigawara first transported Kishu oranges to Edo by boat in 1634, Arita's mandarin oranges became popular in Edo as delicious.
In November 1685, when the sea was rough and the ship was not available, Monzaemon Kinokuniya, a wealthy merchant in Arita, who learned that the price of tangerines was rising in Edo, set out a ship in the rough sea and put tangerines in Edo There is also an anecdote that he got wealth by carrying it.
Mikan mochi is a candy that was born from the study of hometown cooking. It is a specialty of Kishu mandarin orange on top of glutinous rice, steamed and peeled tangerines and then served with glutinous rice. You can enjoy a refreshing acidity with good color and aroma.
Around May, the mandarin tree blooms white flowers across the terraced fields, and the whole town of Arita has a good scent. Yellow fruits color the mountains in autumn. Early growth can be harvested from around October, early from November, and late in December.
If you eat it as it is, it is soft, but if you bake it on a crisp surface, the area becomes crispy and the inside becomes trotoro, so you can enjoy the texture even more.

Reviews