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Dorayaki is a type of Japanese confection. It consists of two small
There is however a rumor it is probably the origin of the name of the sweet. Legend has it that the first dorayaki were made when a
Dorayaki is a type of Japanese confection. It consists of two small pancake
A pancake, also known as a hotcake, griddlecake, or flapjack, is a flat type of batter bread like cake, often thin and round, prepared from a starch-based Batter (cooking), batter that may contain eggs, milk, and butter, and then cooked on a ...
-like patties made from castella wrapped around a filling of sweet azuki bean paste.
The original dorayaki consisted of only one layer. Its current shape was invented in 1914 by ''Usagiya'' in the Ueno district of Tokyo
Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
.
In Japanese, ''dora'' means "gong
A gongFrom Indonesian language, Indonesian and ; ; zh, c=鑼, p=luó; ; ; ; ; is a percussion instrument originating from Southeast Asia, and used widely in Southeast Asian and East Asian musical traditions. Gongs are made of metal and ...
" and the name reflects the original dorayaki was baked (''yaki'') on a heated gong, the Kyoto based confectionery Sasaya Iori states, claiming they invented dorayaki in request from Toji TempleThere is however a rumor it is probably the origin of the name of the sweet. Legend has it that the first dorayaki were made when a
samurai
The samurai () were members of the warrior class in Japan. They were originally provincial warriors who came from wealthy landowning families who could afford to train their men to be mounted archers. In the 8th century AD, the imperial court d ...
named Benkei forgot his gong (''dora'') upon leaving a farmer's home where he was hiding, and the farmer subsequently used the gong to fry the pancakes.
Azuki bean paste is normally used by itself, but chestnuts and rice cakes are sometimes added. There are also dorayaki with amanatto.
Other varieties include "Pudding Dorayaki" with pudding used instead of azuki bean paste; "Fruit Dorayaki", a dorayaki that uses fruit as the main ingredient; and "Parfait Dorayaki", a hearty dorayaki that looks as if a parfait had been placed inside the dorayaki.
Regional variation
In the Kansai area, this sweet is often called ''mikasa'' (). The word originally means triple straw hat, but is also an alternative name of Mount Wakakusa, a low hill with gentle slopes located inNara
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an independent agency of the United States government within the executive branch, charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It is also task ...
. In Nara, a larger mikasa of about 30 cm in diameter is made.
In popular culture
In 2015 filmmaker Naomi Kawase released the film "An" (" Sweet Bean"), based on a novel, ''Sweet Bean Paste'', by Durian Sukegawa, about an elderly woman who has a secret recipe for dorayaki anko.See also
* Japonesa - a similar confection eaten in Spain and Gibraltar * Apam balik - a pancake-like confection in Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, and Singapore * Chalbori-ppang - a similar confection originating in KoreaReferences
{{Japanese food and drink Wagashi Japanese confectionery