Herahera Dango is a local confection handed down since the Edo period in Sajima, a fishing district in the city of Yokosuka on the western side of the Miura Peninsula. Wheat flour, jōshinko (non-glutinous rice flour), or shiratamako (glutinous rice flour) dough is shaped into flattened dumplings and coated with smooth strained red bean paste (koshi-an) — a simple type of ankoromochi. It has traditionally been made in each household as a ceremonial dish for the Sajima boat festival held every July, to pray for a bountiful catch and freedom from illness. Several stories are told about the origin of the name: one holds that the flattened shape of the pressed dumplings resembles a hera, a flat tool used in fishing; another that the dumplings sway 'herahera' as they bob to the surface while boiling. After being selected in 2007 as one of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries' 100 Local Dishes of Farming, Mountain, and Fishing Villages, the confection also began to be commercialized by local sweets shops.
Origin
Herahera Dango is a ceremonial dish that has been made in each household in the Sajima district of Yokosuka since the Edo period during the Sajima Mifune Matsuri, a summer boat festival, to pray for a bountiful catch and freedom from illness. At the festival, Herahera Dango is offered before the gods together with the Sajima Mifune Uta (boat songs), designated as an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of the city, and the local specialty red sea bream.
History
For a long time the confection was handed down as a home-cooked dish, made by hand in each household around festival time, but after it was selected in 2007 as a local dish of Kanagawa Prefecture in the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries' 100 Local Dishes of Farming, Mountain, and Fishing Villages, the Yokosuka Confectionery Industry Association took the lead, spending more than half a year on trial production, and began selling it commercially in June 2009. The recipe uses shinko flour milled from non-glutinous rice and mochiko (glutinous rice flour), and the method was changed to steaming so the dumplings would retain their softness even after time had passed.
Features
The dough, made by kneading wheat flour with water, is rested for about 30 minutes, then shaped by hand into flat rounds about 5 centimeters across, boiled, drained, and coated generously with smooth strained red bean paste. Though unassuming in appearance, it has a simple flavor with a chewy, mochi-like texture and the gentle sweetness of the red bean paste, and is enjoyed as an accompaniment to tea. The Sajima district of the Miura Peninsula is considered the birthplace, though a similar local confection is also said to be found in the Zama district of Zama City.
Main Ingredients
Famous Shops
ふじみや菓子店 田浦店
神奈川県横須賀市田浦町3丁目10
A long-established Japanese confectionery shop near JR Tanoura Station. One of the few shops that sells Herahera Dango as a product, priced at around 370 yen per piece.
FAQ
Q. What is the origin of the name 'Herahera Dango'?
A. There are two theories: one holds that the flattened shape of the pressed dumplings resembles a hera, a flat tool used in fishing; the other that the dumplings sway 'herahera' as they bob to the surface while boiling. Neither has been definitively confirmed.