Dig Japan vol.7 “Dango (団子)”

Dango (団子) is wagashi made by adding water or hot water to grain flour, rolling it, and steaming or boiling it. It is often seasoned with soybean flour, soy sauce, red bean paste, and kushi-dango, which has 3 to 5 dango on a single skewer, is also popular. Today, its name is widely used, but depending on the region, it is called in other ways such as “Dansu (だんす)” in the Tohoku region, “Anbu (あんぶ)” in Niigata prefecture, and “Omaru (おまる)” in the Shiga prefecture and Shikoku region. What is the origin of dango?

A wagashi confectioner in Tottori, Ishitaniseikado's Utsubukikoen-dango (Photography by 𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐨)

In ancient times, dango was eaten as a substitute for staple food in the form of grilled or soup. The ingredient was broken rice, waste rice, rice cake, or other grains such as barley, wheat, millet, buckwheat, corn, azuki beans, sweet potatoes, and chestnuts, which were ground or milled. Even today, in some regions it is possible to find dango made from flour or millet flour other than rice. Dango is often sweetened such as red bean paste, sugar soy sauce paste, soybean flour, or added to shiruko or mitsumame but since it is originally a preserved food, some people enjoy seasoning with soy sauce without sugar. The origin of dango lies in the round-shaped shitogi. Shitogi is made without applying heat, and is made by soaking grains in water to soften them and shaping it into a certain shape as an offering to the gods. Currently, its typical shape is rounded. Another name for it is “Shitogi-mochi” and it is a daily meal in some regions, and is considered to be a food that precedes not only dango but also mochi.

Sumiyaki-dango (Photography by 𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐨)

The first historical document in which the term dango appears is “Shin Sarugakuki (新猿楽記)” written in the Heian period. The word “Dansu (団子)” appeared in “Shugaisho (拾芥抄)” written during the Nanbokucho period, and the word “Dango” also appeared in “Sasekishu (沙石集)” and “Teikin Orai (庭訓往来)” which were written during the same period. Kunio Yanagida proposed that the name “dango” is simply a later adaptation of the name of a similar Chinese sweet. “Kankidan (歓喜団)” or “Danki (団喜)” which described in “Chuji Ruiki (厨事類記)” and is made to resemble shitogi, allegedly is similar to today's dango. Kankidan or danki is a confectionery derived from Indian cuisine brought back by envoys sent to Tang Dynasty, and its name comes from the fact that it was offered to Kangiten. Even in “Wamyo Ruijusho (和名類聚抄)” which was compiled in the middle of the Heian period, danki was treated as another name for Kankidan. In Japan's oldest cookbook, “Chuji Ruiki” which dates from the end of the Heian period to the end of the Kamakura period, danki is a dish that is first cooked like starch, and then fried in oil.

In the Muromachi period, dango began to be pronounced as it is pronounced today, and dango skewered onto bamboo skewers also appeared. It is said that “To-dango (十団子)” which dango tied with string, and “Mitarashi-dango (御手洗団子)” which kushi-dango topped with kuzu sauce seasoned with soy sauce and sugar, were also appeared in this period. In the Edo period, in urban areas, folks enjoy sweet dango as an accompaniment to tea ceremonies and on vacation. In rural areas, on the other hand, it had a different meaning, such as being eaten as a substitute for staple food or as an emergency food.

This article was written by 𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐨, who works as a freelance translator and press for overseas apparel brands in Japan, with the purpose of broadening her insight into the Japanese traditional culture.