Arare (food)

Arare
Type Rice cracker
Place of origin Japan
Main ingredients Glutinous rice, soy sauce
Variations Olive no Hana
Cookbook: Arare  Media: Arare

Arare (あられ, which is named after graupel "snow pellets") is a type of bite-sized Japanese cracker made from glutinous rice and flavored with soy sauce. The size and shapes are what distinguish arare from senbei. The name is chosen to evoke snow pellets – smaller arare are similar in size and shape to snow pellets, though others can vary significantly in size, flavor and shape. Arare is also called kakimochi or mochi crunch in Hawaii where it was introduced in the 1900s.

Types

There are many different sizes, colors, and shapes of arare. Some are sweet, and others savory. One, called norimaki arare (nori meaning an edible seaweed in the form of a dried sheet; maki meaning roll shape) is wrapped with dried nori seaweed. Another, kaki no tane (柿の種), takes its name from its resemblance to a persimmon seed. (Kaki is Japanese for "persimmon".) Kaki no tane are often sold with peanuts, a combination called kakipī (かきピー). These are a popular snack to accompany Japanese beer.

Culture

Japanese typically consume arare to celebrate the Doll Festival (Hinamatsuri), on March 3, Girls' Day in Japan. The arare made during the festival are very colorful - pink, yellow, white, brown, light green, and so on. Regular arare can be bought throughout the year, but the colorful ones are only available around January to March in anticipation of the Doll Festival.

Arare was brought to the U.S. by Japanese immigrants who came as plantation workers in the early 1900s. In Hawaii, the snack is often called kakimochi (fried rice paste) or mochi crunch. In Hawaii, it is popular to mix arare with popcorn (some people mix in furikake, too). The popular Hurricane popcorn includes both arare and furikake with the popcorn. Also popular in Hawaii is li hing arare.

Gallery

Arare for sale in bins 
Peanut arare with wasabi peas and dried fish 
Hina arare; the smaller ones resemble snow pellets 
Actual snow pellets, for comparison 

See also

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 7/24/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.