The sweet, sticky rice cake traditionally eaten during Japanese New Year celebrations is mochi.
Mochi is made by pounding cooked glutinous rice into a smooth, elastic mass. It can be eaten plain, filled with sweet bean paste, wrapped around ice cream, or used in savory dishes. Its soft and chewy texture is one of its defining features.
Kagami mochi, a decorative arrangement of stacked rice cakes, is associated with Japanese New Year customs. Mochi is also used in ozoni, a New Year soup whose ingredients vary by region and household.
Mochi is often confused with dango. Both are chewy Japanese rice-based foods, but dango is made from rice flour and formed into small dumplings, usually served on skewers. Mochi is traditionally made from pounded glutinous rice, although modern methods may use flour.