What is Hechoko Dango? A detailed explanation from the meaning of the name to how to make it [Ninohe City, Iwate Prefecture]

In the days before agriculture was mechanized, the moment when a year's work came to an end was probably a happy moment for farmers, when they could finally take a break

we will take a closer look at Hechoko Dango , a traditional treat from Ninohe City, Iwate Prefecture, that adds color to such moments

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What is Hechoko Dango

Hechoko Dango is a

The name Hechoko Dango is said to come from the fact that the shape of the dango with a dent in the middle resembles a hechoko (belly button), and also as a way to reward farmers for their hard work over the past year

called "susuri dango" because they are slurped up in the sweet soup and "ukiuki dango" because they float up in the sweet soup when boiled

At the end of the garden, people make autumn mochi using the new glutinous rice harvested from the fields, and offer them to the gods along with sake and snacks, giving thanks for the harvest and for the health of their families and for being able to work for a year

To show appreciation for the hard work of the whole family, the farm wife would splurge on ingredients and work hard to prepare a feast, and one of the dishes she would make was Hechoko Dango

Nowadays, it is made as a hospitality dish and is featured on the school lunch menu in Ninohe city, so its flavor has been passed down

Link: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries "Our Local Cuisine" - Hechoko Dango / Ukiuki Dango

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Why don't we use joshinko or shiratamako flour for Hechoko Dango

Hechoko dango is made using flour from sorghum, glutinous millet, and rice sorghum, but why don't they use rice flour or shiratama flour, which are commonly used as ingredients for dango?

Ninohe City has always been heavily affected by Yamase winds, and there was a culture of eating the following grains to conserve rice

• Barley
• bubbles
• buckwheat
• millet
• Amaranth
• wheat
• Sorghum

These grains can be cooked whole, ground into flour, or made into mochi, and with a little ingenuity they can be transformed into a variety of dishes, one of which is Hechoko Dango

Because rice is not harvested in abundance in Ninohe City, it was not possible to use joshinko (rice flour) made from non-glutinous rice or shiratamako (rice flour) made from glutinous rice when making hechoko dango, but instead it can be said that a rich food culture was born using miscellaneous grains, including hechoko dango

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How to make Hechoko Dango

We will show you how to make traditional Hechoko Dango

Ingredients (for 1 person)

<Dango>

• Sorghum flour (30g)
• 1 tablespoon boiling water for the millet flour
• Mochi awa flour (15g)
• Hot water for the glutinous millet powder (1 teaspoon)
• Millet powder (15g)
• 1 teaspoon boiling water for millet powder
• Salt (a little)

<Red bean soup>

• Red beans (30g)
• Water (130ml)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• Salt (a little)

How to make it

1. Soak the beans in water overnight
2. Boil the soaked red beans
3. Strain the boiled red beans to make smooth bean paste, then add sugar and salt to make red bean soup (you can also make it into whole bean paste if you like)
4. Add a pinch of salt to the millet flour, add boiling water, mix, and knead until it becomes as soft as an earlobe
5. Roll it into a ball about 2cm in size and press the center with your index finger to create a navel-like depression
6. Repeat the same procedure with glutinous millet flour and rice millet flour to make dimpled balls
7. Bring the red bean soup to a boil, then add the dumplings. When the dumplings float to the surface, it is done

When making red bean soup, try to make it loose and use less sugar to bring out the natural flavor of the grains

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summary

I learned that Hechoko Dango is one of the ceremonial foods made at the time of garden closing, which takes place when farm work in Ninohe City, Iwate Prefecture, ends and the farmer moves on to work in the mountains.I learned that it is a dish served at the time of garden closing to give thanks to God for having been able to work in the fields safely for the year

If you want to experience the rich food culture of Ninohe City using millet, be sure to give it a try

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