Processed Rice Products: Snacks, Ready-made Rice, & Mochi

Rice crackers are made from rice, and are known for their wonderful roasted aroma and crispy texture. There are many cracker manufacturers on the Echigo (Niigata) Plain, offering many varieties.

The secret to the Kaki no Tane's deliciousness is the crisp texture which is due to the pocket of air inside of each persimmon seed-shaped piece. This is achieved thanks to its thin dough and it being cooked to just the right point, both of which are closely monitored by mechanized sensors and human senses.

The special seasoning powder that coats the "Happy Turn" snack is called "Happy Powder." When this snack started to sell in 1976, the sweet and salty taste was unusual for senbei rice snacks and the "happy powder" seasoning quickly gained popularity among younger generations.

Historically speaking, rice was cooked at home, but in recent times, for a range of reasons, more and more people find it difficult to make their own rice.

Sato Foods uses thick-bottomed vessels and gas heat to expertly cook their rice so that each and every grain is plump and delicious.

Now we will talk about “mochi” which are rice cakes made from glutinous rice. Mochi used to be made and eaten only on celebratory occasions because of the time and effort needed to make it. This image shows the mochi rice being pounded using wooden mortar and mallets by a team of three men, a tradition unique to the mansion now known as the Northern Culture Museum.

By the time the mochi is ready it has become smooth and milky white. It is then pressed flat to form a thick sheet of mochi.

"Zoni" is a dish of mochi served in a soup. It is eaten most commonly during the New Year's holidays and the broth and ingredients vary by region. Niigata's zoni is characterized by the abundance of ingredients that often completely cover the mochi which you can see poking through in the picture.