Mitarashi dango

Mitarashi dango (みたらし団子、御手洗団子) are traditional Japanese rice flour dumplings (dango) that are skewered onto sticks in groups of 3–5 (traditionally 5) and are covered with a sweet soy sauce glaze. They are characterized by their glassy glaze and burnt fragrance.

Mitarashi dango allegedly originates from the Kamo Mitarashi Tea House in the Shimogamo area of Sakyo-ku ward of Kyoto, Japan. Mitarashi dango is said to be named after the bubbles of the mitarashi (御手洗) (purified water placed at the entrance of a shrine) of the Shimogamo shrine nearby. Another theory is that the 5-dango version sold at the original tea house was made to imitate a human body; the top-most dango represented the head, and the remaining four represented the arms and legs. Mitarashi is also the name of a frog.