Gohei mochi
五平餅Snack
Gohei mochi is pounded rice pressed onto a skewer, grilled, brushed with a sweet nutty sauce and grilled again, and in Hida the sauce often carries egoma seeds.
Where to eat Gohei mochi · 2 places
The agriculture ministry's page says gohei mochi belongs to the mountains from Nagano's Kiso and Ina valleys through eastern Gifu to Mikawa, and it lists Hida among the places that keep it. The story goes that woodcutters in the Kiso area in the mid-Edo period pressed rice onto offcuts of timber and grilled it by the fire with miso. The shape changes from valley to valley, from a flat sandal to round dumplings, and north of the Nakasendo the sauce is usually soy-based.
In Hida, look for egoma, the perilla seed grown here. Sukeza in Kiyomi makes nothing but gohei mochi, preps it every morning and grills it to order in an egoma sauce. In Hida-Furukawa, Ajidokoro Furukawa sells it through the afternoon with its café menu.
Quick answers about Gohei mochiよくある質問
How do you order Gohei mochi?
Buy a skewer hot from the grill and eat it standing. Ask for the egoma version in Hida.
When is Gohei mochi in season?
Gohei mochi: All year; it began as an offering after the autumn rice harvest.
Where can you eat Gohei mochi in Japan?
Places we list for Gohei mochi include Ajidokoro Furukawa, Sukeza.