Now what you are looking at is called sasadango, which is a specialty of Niigata prefecture. Sasa means the leave of bamboo, and dango is something like rice cake. Sasadango is yomogi-dango, or mugwort dango with red bean paste in it wrapped by sasa. How did it start? why does it use sasa? This article will help answer those questions.
According to a history book, Sasadango started its history in Warring States Period, about 400 years ago, as a portable preserved food. The ingredients for sasadango were sasa, rice and yomogi that were all easy to get then. There is a special reason why sasa is used. That’s because sasa is antibacterial and preservative. There was no fridge in the past, so people were so smart and developed the idea how to make food last longer with sasa.
A long time ago, the month of May would be said “bad month” because many diseases went around in May. People keep them out with the smell of iris and mugwort. So sasadango, which is made with mugwort, was also used as offering. People would have sasadango wishing them good health and peace.
When you eat, untie the igusa, or rushes on sasadango. Open the leave like banana’s, and then eat it. If it is hard to open this way, you can tear the leave.
