Dango
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dango (団子?) is a Japanese dumpling made from mochiko (rice flour), related to mochi. It is sticky and filling. It is often served with green tea.
Dango are eaten year-round, but the different varieties are traditionally eaten in given seasons. Three to four dango are often served on a skewer. One variety of dango from Hokkaidō is made from potato flour and baked with shoyu (soy sauce).
In 1998, dango experienced a surge of popularity in Japan: a song entitled "Dango-san-kyōdai" (three dango brothers) was released and a craze for eating dango developed. In a play on words, the song is a tango.
A common Japanese saying is Hana Yori Dango (花より団子?) which translates as "Food before Flowers" (more exactly "dumplings rather than flowers"). "Food before Flowers" refers to a preference for practical things rather than aesthetics.
Dango is used internationally amongst go players as a derogatory term for an inefficient, dumpling-like cluster of stones in a go game. It is also the name of a go variant invented in 1991.
"Dango" (bid rigging) or prearranged business agreement in which contractors privately form an agreement in advance on bid prices, etc. used to be a habitual practice of the Japanese construction industry.
Josh Cellan, the drummer for American punk band Amber Pacific, performs under the stage name "Dango".
[edit] Different Types
There are many different varieties of dango which are usually named after the various seasonings served on or with it.
- An: Commonly known as (sweetened) red bean paste, while ingredients other than azuki are used on rare occasions. An-Dango is the most popular flavor in Japan.
- Mitarashi: A syrup made from shoyu (soy sauce), sugar and starch. Popular with children.
- Kinako: A toasted soy flour.
- Goma: sesame seeds. It is both sweet and salty.
- Chichi-Dango are slightly-sweet light treats usually eaten as a dessert.
- Nori: dried and seasoned seaweed
