Have you ever seen the red-colored rice in japan? It is Japanese celebratory dish known as “Sekihan”. The origin of sekihan goes far back to the “Jomon” period (about 4000 years ago). This page focus on the dish loved by Japanese.
Quick Look at the contents
What is “Sekihan”?
The origin of Sekihan.
the taste of Sekihan.
Where can you eat Sekihan?
You can make Sekihan!
What is “Sekihan”?
“Sekihan” (or *1“Osekihan”) is one of the traditional Japanese dishes and is mainly eaten during celebrations.
It is made by steaming glutinous rice with boiled *2red beans. By cooking with red beans, the rice turns red. The reason why Japanese change the color of rice to red is because they think that red is a happy color. So, why do Japanese like Sekihan? The reasons can be seen by going back to the history of Japan.
(*1polite usage)
(*2Japanese call the red beans “Azuki”)
The origin of Sekihan.
When did Sekihan originate? Surprisingly, the origin of Sekihan dates back to the *3“Jomon” period. The rice at that time was different from the white rice of today, and had a faint red color when cooked. Old Japanese believed that red had an amulet effect, so the rice was offered to gods of Japanese. Until the early Edo period, the common people used to eat this red rice, but due to technological development and breed improvement, in the latter half of the Edo era, the current rice gradually came to be eaten. However, the tradition of offering red rice to the gods of Japan remained strong, so red rice made by coloring red beans with white rice became popular. That is Sekihan. In addition, the fact that it was considered to be good for health is one of the reasons why Sekihan spread and remained in the present day. Nowadays, Sekihan is eaten at celebrations such as birth celebrations, wedding celebrations, graduation celebrations, and so on.
(*3about 4000 years ago)
the taste of Sekihan.
Since Sekihan is made of glutinous rice, which is the same as rice cake, it is sticky and has a good taste. The red beans are a little dry, but when you eat with glutinous rice, the taste is harmonized and you can feel more delicious.
As Sekihan is generally lightly flavored, sesame salt is often served with it. The salty taste makes it even more delicious.
Where can you eat Sekihan?
Currently, Sekihan can be easily purchased at supermarkets and convenience stores in Japan. The price is about 300 yen per 220 grams, and you can buy rice ball size for about 130 yen.
It’s a relatively reasonable price in Japan.
If you have the chance to come to Japan, how about trying to Sekihan?
You can make Sekihan!
You can also make Sekihan yourself. Here is the recipe for Sekihan.
Cookpad https://cookpad.com/recipe/6071450
If you are interested in Sekihan, please try it!
*The recipe is in Japanese, so please translate it into your native language on your computer before viewing.
赤飯文化啓発協会 <www.osekihan.jp/history.html>
Cookpad 蒸し器で本格！お赤飯 <https://cookpad.com/recipe/6071450>
