June/6/2020
Habutae Mochi (羽二重餅) is a sweet that originates from Fukui. A lot of travelers buy this as a gift.
In Chihayafuru, a well-known Japanese comic about competitive karuta, Wataya, who was born in Fukui, gives Chihaya the heroine Habutae Mochi as a gift. (If you don’t know about Chihayafuru, see my previous post: What is Chihayafuru? and what is karuta?)
The name of Habutae Mochi is taken from habutae silk, a specialty of Fukui Prefecture. The textile industry was one of Fukui’s main industries. In particular, a lot of habutae silk was made in Fukui. It’s one of the best silks in Japan and has a beautiful glossy colour and provides an excellent feel.
The name Mochi means rice cakes in Japanese.
Habutae Mochi has an elegance like habutae silk.
You can buy Habutae Mochi at a gift shop in Fukui Station, Happiring, Matsuokaken, and other shops. There are lots of kinds of Habutae Mochi, like Strawberry Habutae Mochi, Chocolate Habutae Mochi, Habutae Walnut, and so on at a gift shop in Fukui Station.
I went to Matsuokaken, where you can walk to in about 15 minutes from Fukui Station. (Operating hours: from 9:00 to 18:00. Closed: during the New Year holidays.) In the shop, you can buy Habutae Mochi, Habutae wafer cakes, Habutae pancakes, Castella cakes, and other things. I saw some Chihayafuru goods in the store. I bought a pack of six Habutae Mochi and ate them at home.
They’re best eaten within about seven days. They’re not so big, and they’re very thin. They’re made of sticky rice flour, starch syrup, granulated sugar, and potato starch.
They have a silk-like coloration. The texture is so soft that when you chew on one 20 times, it’ll dissolve in the mouth. Because this is mochi, it’s very stretchy like melted cheese. They were sweet but not too sweet. I felt content after eating them. I liked the appearance, the texture, and the flavor at the same time.
Habutae Mochi is symbolic of Fukui’s sweets. If you come to Fukui, have some Habutae Mochi and buy some as a gift.
(References):
「日本銘菓辞典」（編著：山本候充）（東京堂出版）
「新訂版 全国五つ星の手みやげ」（監修：岸朝子）（東京書籍）
「郷土菓子のうた 甘味の地域文化誌」（岡部史）（ブイツーソリューション）
「福井ミニ歴史探訪」（著：松浦義則、木村亮、門井直哉、隼田嘉彦）（福井大学広報センター）