Satsuma Iko-mochi

Traditional Kagoshima sweets made from roasted rice flour

The traditional Kagoshima local sweet “Iko-mochi” is a savory rice cake made by kneading roasted rice flour.

“Tatsunoya” is a confectionery shop that produces many traditional Kagoshima sweets, such as “karukan“.

Although ikomochi are traditionally made in the shape of a board,but  Tatsunoya’s Iko-mochi are bite-sized, making them easy to pick up and eat.

It is covered with a generous amount of rice cake powder, and when you prick it with a toothpick, you can feel it “squeak”.

This is the one with deep-roasted rice flour. The rice flour must be slightly burnt to get this kind of color.

Unexpected texture, like a crispy rice cake dumpling. It has a simple sweetness and an unexpectedly crispy texture. Of course, it is a rice cake, so it is chewy when you put it in your mouth, but it also has an interesting texture with good crispiness. “karukan” is one of the traditional sweets of Kagoshima, but it is interesting that many of them have unique textures.