Related to mochi, dango (Japanese: 団子) is a Japanese dumpling made from mochiko (rice flour ). It is sticky and filling. It is often served with green tea.

Dango is eaten year-round, but its different varieties are traditionally eaten in given seasons. Three to four Dango are often served on a skewer. One variety of dango from Hokkaido is made from potato flour and baked with shoyu (soy sauce).

In 1999, dango experienced a surge of popularity in Japan: a song entitled "Dango-san-kyoudai" (three dango brothers) was released and a craze for eating dango developed at that time. (In a play on words, the song is a tango.)

Dango is used internationally amongst go players as a deprecatory term for an inefficient, dumpling-like cluster of stones in a go game. It is also the name of an interesting go variant invented in 1991.

Different Types

There are many different varieties of dango which are usually named after the various seasonings served on or with it.

• An: Very sweet bean paste. An-Dango is the most popular flavor in Japan.
• Mitarashi: A syrup made from shoyu (soy sauce) and sugar. Popular with children.
• Kinako : A toasted soy flour. Recently kinako has been identified as a healthy food.
• Goma: sesame seeds. Also considered to be a "healthy" food. It is both sweet and salty.
• Chichi-Dango
• Nori: dried and seasoned seaweed

See Also

• Wagashi
• Go