# Tochimochi ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

**Cuisine Name**: Tochimochi

**Region**: Our Regional Cuisines

## Main Lore Areas
Yazu, Kawahara (Tottori City), Misasa

## Main Ingredients Used
Glutinous rice, Japanese horse chestnut

## History, Origin, and Related Events
The Japanese horse chestnuts (“tochi”) used for “tochimochi” are so bitter that their intense taste causes a painful tingling sensation on the tongue when consumed raw. Thankfully, the wisdom and experience of our ancestors led to the invention of delicious ways to enjoy these chestnuts, and they are said to have been eaten since the Jomon era. The chestnuts were a valuable source of food in the past, since rice was scared in mountain villages.Each chestnut contains one or two nuts inside its thick shell. They ripen to a dark red-brown color in the fall, growing to about 3 to 4cm in size. Japanese horse chestnuts are round just like regular chestnuts and are typically harvested from October to November. They are rich in potassium, copper, manganese, saponin, and tannin.

## Opportunities and Times of Eating Habits
In typical households in the region, “tochimochi” is made and consumed as a type of rice cake for “zoni,” a traditional soup eaten during the New Year.

## How to Eat
The chestnuts first undergo a lengthy process to remove their bitterness. They are then steamed with glutinous rice, and finally molded into rice cakes to be consumed. These rice cakes are less sticky compared to those made with only glutinous rice and have a unique rustic flavor with a hint of bitterness and astringency. They can be eaten as “oshiruko” by adding them to azuki soup.

## Efforts for Preservation and Succession
Eating horse chestnuts after removing their bitterness is a practice unique to Japan and requires highly specialized techniques and takes more than two weeks to complete. Due to the labor-intensive nature of this process, it has become less common for households to prepare “tochimochi” themselves. Instead, people often purchase horse chestnuts that have already had their bitterness removed and use them to make “tochimochi” for “zoni,” especially during the New Year. Additionally, you can find horse chestnut-based sweets with fillings like sweet bean paste sold as Tottori souvenirs in traditional Japanese confectionary shops.

## Ingredients
- Glutinous rice: 1~1.5sho (1800~2700cc)
- Japanese horse chestnuts: 500g
- [Chestnut preparation] Japanese horse chestnuts: 1sho (1800cc)
- [Chestnut preparation] Wood ashes (hardwood such as evergreen oak or sawtooth oak): 1~2sho (1800~3600cc)

## Recipe
1. 1. [Chestnut preparation (preparation for peeling) ]Put the chestnuts in a bucket, pour plenty of hot water over them, and let them sit for about 3 days to allow the chestnuts to swell.
2. 2. [Chestnut preparation (peeling) ]Boil water in a pot and add the chestnuts to keep them warm. Peel the skin using traditional tools like the two-board "tochimuki”.
3. 3. [Chestnut preparation (river rinsing) ]Put the chestnuts in a mesh bag and let them soak in flowing river water for 5 to 6 days.
4. 4. [Chestnut preparation (bitterness removal) ]Place the chestnuts in a bucket, pour hot water over them, mix well, and then drain the water. Then add the wood ashes at a ratio of 1 to 2 sho (1800 to 3600cc) of ashes per 1 sho (1800cc) of chestnuts, pour hot water over them, and mix. Cover the bucket with nylon and let sit for 2 days, insulating it with an old blanket or similar material. During this time, mix well with a stick every hour for the first 3 to 4 hours.
5. 5. [Chestnut preparation (checking for readiness) ]Bite into a chestnut; if it pricks your tongue like a thorn, it's ready. Take about 3 chestnuts, steam, boil, or roast them, and try crushing them with your fingers. If the core is hard and doesn't crush, they are not ready. Use a small amount to make a small dumpling to check the taste and color. For instance, if they are not ready, the color will be pale.
6. 6. [Chestnut preparation (if chestnuts are not ready) ]If the chestnuts are not ready, wash out the ashes from the bucket, add ashes again, and pour hot water over them, repeating the [Chestnut preparation (bitterness removal) ] process.
7. 7. Rinse the glutinous rice and soak in water for 8 to 24 hours, adjusting the soaking time based on the temperature (shorter in hot weather, longer in cold weather).
8. 8. About 1 hour before steaming, drain the soaked rice using a colander.
9. 9. When steaming the rice and prepared chestnuts, place the chestnuts on top from the start. If using frozen chestnuts, thaw them naturally beforehand.
10. 10. Steam for approximately 30 minutes once the steam starts rising.
11. 11. Pound the steamed chestnuts and rice until the rice grains are gone, and the mixture becomes smooth and sticky.
12. 12. As a rough guideline, when using 1.5sho (2700cc) of rice, you should get around 55 dumplings, each weighing about 50g.

## Provider Information
provider : Yazu Life Improvement Implementation Group Liaison Council

![Image](Not found)