Soft, chewy, and delicately sweet, mochi is more than just a Japanese dessert – it’s a cultural figure with centuries of tradition infused in its sticky origins. One of the essential Japanese foods, thanks to its celebratory significance, its origins trace back to Japan’s Heian period, when it was reserved for nobility. Traditionally, it’s prepared with quite a ceremony, calling upon a huge mortar and pestle to rhythmically pound steamed mochigome (a short-grain glutinous…

