Mochi

Mochi (餅) is made by steaming mochigome, a glutinous rice variety, and pounding the steamed grains into a smooth, sticky, elastic paste, traditionally in a stone or wood mortar called an usu with a wooden mallet called a kine. On its own it forms the base of many wagashi, including daifuku, sakuramochi, and kagami mochi, the stacked New Year decoration. Despite the name “glutinous,” mochi contains no gluten; the stickiness comes from the rice’s starch composition, not wheat protein.