In previous years, many people like to travel to Japan in March and April, because this is the period of cherry blossom. Traveling to Japan, you will often see a lot of Maruko desserts. In this season of cherry blossom, Hanami Maruko is also often appear!

During cherry blossom viewing, everyone prepares different snacks, desserts, bento and alcohol. Among them, the three-color Hanami croquettes are the most common and arguably a must-have.

As much as the Japanese love cherry blossoms, they are obsessed with this dessert. In Japan, there is a popular saying about Hanami Dumplings called "hanayori dango", which means that it is better to enjoy the cherry blossoms than to enjoy the cherry blossoms. It means that it's better to focus on the inside than the outside. In this case, it also means, "It is better to eat the dumplings than to enjoy the blossoms". It can be seen that the Japanese people actually love this dessert more than enjoying cherry blossoms.

Japanese snacks are often made in many different ways, but the color of the three-color Hanami dumplings is "fixed". Almost no one wants to change the three color combinations, so it turns out that the three colors - pink, white and green - have their own meanings. And its origin, there are many versions.

According to legend, Hanami Maruko was named by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who, in his later years (1598), ordered 700 cherry blossom trees to be transplanted at Daigoji Samba-in in Kyoto. He invited 1,300 guests and held a grand banquet when the cherry blossoms were in full bloom. This banquet was later called "Hanami of Daigo". At the banquet, the tea served to the guests was Hanami Maruko.

This is the prototype of the present picnic under the cherry blossom tree. The habit of cherry blossom viewing became popular in the middle of the Edo period, and gradually spread to the people. Since the color of the dumplings was similar to that of cherry blossoms, they were easy to make, and the ingredients were inexpensive, so they became a must-have snack for people to enjoy cherry blossoms.

Another version is this ......

It is said that flower viewing was a recreational and leisure activity for the nobility in ancient Japan. It is said that a member of the Imperial family thought that the monotony of the traditional white maruko color was incompatible with flower viewing and the beauty of spring. So he ordered the color of the balls to be changed and asked to make them more colorful.

Since it was ordered by the royal family, the color of the dumplings should not be without a meaning. But there are a lot of stories about the meaning of the colors, and among them, the following four are more widely accepted.

Said one: because of the order of flowering of cherry blossoms. First, the pinkish-red buds, and then white when in full bloom, and the green is to represent the growth of new shoots. Thus, there is a color combination and order of pink, white and green.

Statement 2: The order of colors in the spring scene. Pink represents the spring sunshine; white is the melted snow; green represents the coming summer.

Suggestion 3: The symbols of the seasons. Pink, white and green represent the four seasons. Pink is the cherry blossoms in spring, white represents the snow in winter, and green represents the green leaves, which also look forward to summer. But why is there no fall in the promised four seasons?

The reason is that the Japanese word for autumn is similar to the word for boredom, so there is no autumn in Hanami Maruko. This also means that not only does it not get boring, it means it flourishes.

SAYING 4: According to Japanese legend, pink, white and green are the favorite colors of the gods. Pink and white two colors in Japan have the meaning of attracting good luck, green can ward off evil spirits and mold, with these three colors made of pills to eat, you can attract good luck and bad luck.

Simple three-color dessert also has so much to say and origin. In addition to these backgrounds, the Japanese people like to eat Hanami dumplings in the cherry blossom viewing, the most important reason is really not because it is delicious?

In fact, it is very easy to make the balls, you can also try to do at home to see, Xiaoshi for you to find the recipe.

The three colors are white original flavor, pink cherry blossom flavor, and green mugwort flavor.

Ingredients: tender tofu (100g), glutinous rice flour (80g), sticky rice flour (20g), granulated sugar, cherry blossom syrup (can be replaced by food coloring), mugwort puree (can be represented by flower powder). To make the dough, put all of the tender tofu, glutinous rice flour, sticky rice flour, and granulated sugar into a dish and knead.

Divide the dough into three parts, add cherry blossom syrup and mugwort puree to two of them, and knead each into a suitable size ball. Boil water and reduce the heat, throw in the dough and cook until the balls float, then remove and need to pass through cold water, skewer into skewers.

Can be dipped in honey, black syrup or eaten with soybean flour. The meatballs are soft and Q-bouncy, with a sweet flavor and sellable appearance, and it is indeed a mouthful to wash away the gloom of the heart.

In addition, it can also be made into skewered balls oh!

In Japan, Izakaya yakitori is a delicious charcoal-grilled dish. The outer layer of the dumplings is grilled to give them a caramelized, slightly crispy surface and a firm, chewy texture. Serve with sesame seeds or red bean paste for a different flavor.