A rice cake may be any kind of food item made from

rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...

that has been shaped, condensed, or otherwise combined into a single object. A wide variety of rice cakes exist in many different cultures in which rice is eaten. Common variations include cakes made with

rice flour Rice flour (also rice powder) is a form of flour made from finely milled rice. It is distinct from rice starch, which is usually produced by steeping rice in lye. Rice flour is a common substitute for wheat flour. It is also used as a thickening ...

, those made from ground rice, and those made from whole grains of rice compressed together or combined with some other binding substance.

Types of rice cakes by region

Types of rice cake include:

Burmese

Burmese cuisine Burmese cuisine encompasses the diverse regional culinary traditions of Myanmar, which have developed through longstanding agricultural practices, centuries of sociopolitical and economic change, and cross-cultural contact and trade with neighb ...

has a variety of snacks and desserts called ''mont'' made with various types of rice, rice flour and glutinous rice flour. Sweet Burmese ''mont'' are generally less sweet than counterparts in other parts of

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

, instead deriving their natural sweetness from constituent ingredients (e.g., grated coconut, coconut milk, glutinous rice, fruit, etc.).

Cambodian

* Ansom chek is a banana leaf sticky rice cake. It is served all year long but it is most prevalent during Bun Pchum Ben or "Ancestors' Day" festival. It is served either with a banana filling or pork fat strips and beans then they are wrapped with layers of banana leaf and steamed. * Num Kom is steamed sweet sticky rice flour cake filled with palm sugar, freshly grated coconut and roasted sesame seeds. It is traditionally made and eaten on Memorial day for ancestors (Bun Pchum ben/Don-ta), Visak (Buddha birthday) and especially Cambodian New Year (). It takes the shape of a pyramid to represent Buddhist pagoda towers. * Num Krok is sticky rice cake that is mixture of rice flour, coconut milk, chopped shallots and a little salt, dipped in fish and chili sauce and sometimes palm sugar. It is made with an iron pan. * Num Plae Ai (ផ្លែអាយ) is sticky rice balls with palm sugar on the inside and rolled in fresh coconut for a beautiful cover. * Num Ah-Kor (នំអាកោរ) is one of the most popular Cambodian/Khmer dessert. It is a dessert that is served during Khmer New Year and festivities. It is made with rice flour and topped with fresh shaved coconut. It comes in many colors. * Nom Chak-Kachan also known as sticky rice layer cake. It is made with sticky rice, tapioca flours, and coconut milk. It comes in a number of colors with green and yellow layers being the most popular.

Chinese

* Chongyang cake is a steamed rice flour cake, with bean or bean paste as inner layer, decorated with jujube, chestnuts, almonds, and osmanthus. It is specially made for

Chongyang Festival The Double Ninth Festival is a traditional Chinese holiday observed on the ninth day of the ninth month in the Chinese calendar. According to Wu Jun, it dates back to the Eastern Han dynasty (25–220 AD). According to the ''I Ching'', ''nine' ...

. * Ciba cake is made by glutinous rice pounded into paste, often molded into shapes of balls or cuboids, and usually dipped into brown sugar syrup and roasted soybean flour after being fried or steamed. *

Erkuai Erkuai () is a type of rice cake particular to the Yunnan Province of southwest China. The name literally means "ear piece," a reference to the shape of one of its common forms. It is often served stir-fried with vegetables, and ''málà'' (麻 ...

(), a reference to the shape of one of its common forms. Erkuai is generally stir-fried or grilled and rolled around a

youtiao ''Youtiao'' (), known in Southern China as yu char kway, is a long golden-brown deep-fried strip of wheat flour dough of Chinese cuisine, Chinese origin and (by a variety of other names) also popular in other East Asia, East and Southeast Asia ...

. It's a popular food in Yunnan Province. * Fa gao is a steamed cupcake-like pastry, most commonly consumed on the Chinese new year. It is made of rice flour, leavening (traditionally yeast), sugar. * Jian dui (aka Ma tuan, or Sesame Ball) are a type of crisp and chewy hollow glutinous rice pastry often filled with red bean and coated with sesame on the outside * Funing big cake is made with glutinous rice flour and various nuts as garnishes. It is molded into cuboid shape, steamed, and then sliced to paper-like pieces. *

Lüdagun Lüdagun () is a traditional Manchu snack in China. It originated in Manchuria and later became famous in Beijing. The yellow soybean flour sprinkled over the pastry makes it look like a donkey rolling on the loess, which gave rise to its Chines ...

(aka Donkey Roll) is a traditional Manchu snack in China. It is a round sticky rice pastry with honey and red bean paste filling, rolled with yellow soybean flour dusted over. * Nuomici is glutinous rice ball, filled with a sweet filling with dried coconut flakes dusted on the outside. * Mi gao (米糕, rice cake), Nuo mi gao (糯米糕, glutinous rice cake), or Jiang mi gao (江米糕, river rice cake), is a cake that directly made with glutinous rice, added dates or longan pulp or red bean, steamed thoroughly, and cut to pieces or blocks. ** Zèng gao (甑糕, caldron cake), called as Jing gao in

Shaanxi Shaanxi is a Provinces of China, province in north Northwestern China. It borders the province-level divisions of Inner Mongolia to the north; Shanxi and Henan to the east; Hubei, Chongqing, and Sichuan to the south; and Gansu and Ningxia to t ...

dialect, is a rice cake steamed originally with an ancient Chinese food vessel Zèng (甑), and now people use steamer to cook it. It is layered repeatedly with glutinous rice, red bean, glutinous rice, dates and raisin. It is similar to Mi gao, however originate from different regions and cooked by different cookware. *

Nian gao ''Nian gao'' (), sometimes translated as year cake or New Year cake or Chinese New Year's cake, is a food prepared from glutinous rice flour and consumed in Chinese cuisine. It is also simply known as "rice cake". While it can be eaten all year ...

includes many varieties, all made from

glutinous rice Domestication syndrome refers to two sets of phenotypic traits that are common to either domesticated plants or domesticated animals. Domesticated animals tend to be smaller and less aggressive than their wild counterparts; they may also hav ...

that is pounded or ground into a paste and, depending on the variety, may simply be molded into shape or cooked again to settle the ingredient. *

Osmanthus cake Osmanthus cake () is a traditional sweet-scented Chinese pastry made with glutinous rice flour, honey, sweet osmanthus and rock sugar. It has crystal-clear appearance and a soft, slightly waxy texture. History Sweet-scented osmanthus cake ori ...

is a traditional sweet-scented Chinese pastry made with glutinous rice flour, honey sweet-scented osmanthus and rock sugar. *

Qingtuan ''Qīngtuán'' (), also written as ''Tsingtuan'', is a green-colored dumpling originating from Jiangnan and common throughout China. It is made of glutinous rice mixed with Chinese mugwort or barley grass. It is usually filled with sweet red o ...

is made of glutinous rice mixed with

Chinese mugwort Chinese mugwort is a common name for several plants and may refer to: *'' Artemisia argyi'' *'' Artemisia verlotiorum'' {{Plant common name

chrysanthemum Chrysanthemums ( ), sometimes called mums or chrysanths, are flowering plants in the Asteraceae family. They are native to East Asia and northeastern Europe. Most species originate from East Asia, and the center of diversity is in China. Co ...

, or rose. * ''

Tteokbokki () or simmered rice cake, is a popular Korean food made from small-sized (long, white, cylinder-shaped rice cakes) called () or commonly (). * ''Eomuk'' (fish cakes), boiled eggs, and scallions are some common ingredients paired with ''tteo ...

'' is a stir-fried dish made with ''garaetteok'' and commonly sold by street vendors. It is usually seasoned with ''gochujang'' (chili paste) but can also be served with a sauce based on soy sauce and commonly contains

fish cake A fishcake (sometimes written as fish cake) is a culinary dish consisting of filleted fish or other seafood minced or ground, mixed with a starchy ingredient, and fried until golden. Asian-style fishcakes usually contain fish with salt, water, ...

, boiled eggs, and green onion. * ''

Tteokguk Tteokguk * () or sliced rice cake soup is a traditional Korean dish eaten during the celebration of the Korean New Year. The dish consists of broth/soup (''guk'') with thinly sliced rice cakes (''tteok''). Eating ''tteokguk'' on New Year's Day ...

'' is a soup that is eaten after the

Korean New Year () is a Korean traditional festival and national holiday commemorating the first day of the Korean calendar, Korean lunisolar calendar. It is one of the most important traditional holidays for Koreans, ethnic Koreans, being celebrated in bot ...

. It contains such ingredients as sliced ''tteok'', anchovy, green onion, and eggs. * '' Mujigae-tteok'' or 'rainbow rice cake' is a layered tteok of different colors resembling a rainbow. Colors are typically light red, yellow, and green.

Sri Lankan

Idli Idli, iddena, iddali or idly (; plural: idlis) is a type of savoury rice cake, originating from South India, popular as a breakfast food in Southern India and in Sri Lanka. The cakes are made by steaming a batter consisting of fermented de-h ...

, originating in South India, it is a savoury rice cake that is popularly eaten for breakfast. *

Puttu Puttu (; ; ; ) is a dish native to the Southern Indian states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and parts of Karnataka, as well as Sri Lanka. It is made of steamed cylinders of ground rice layered with coconut shavings, sometimes with a sweet or savory f ...

, originating in South India, it is widely consumed throughout the country. It is a cylinder made out of steamed ground rice and coconut. * Seenakku, a rice cake made out of

and served with grated coconut, it derives from the Chinese ''

nian gao ''Nian gao'' (), sometimes translated as year cake or New Year cake or Chinese New Year's cake, is a food prepared from glutinous rice flour and consumed in Chinese cuisine. It is also simply known as "rice cake". While it can be eaten all year ...

''. *

Kiribath Kiribath () is a traditional Sri Lankan dish made from rice. It is prepared by cooking rice with coconut milk, hence this name, and can be considered a form of rice cake or rice pudding. Kiribath is an essential dish in Sri Lankan cuisine. It i ...

, a rice cake made out of rice cooked in coconut milk and commonly eaten for breakfast. The name means "milk rice" in Sinhala. It is cut into pieces and served on special occasions, such as New Year's, birthdays, or religious festivals.

Taiwanese

* Tainan bowl rice cake (''óaⁿ-kóe'', 碗粿) has its origins in the southern Taiwanese city of

Tainan Tainan (), officially Tainan City, is a Special municipality (Taiwan), special municipality in southern Taiwan, facing the Taiwan Strait on its western coast. Tainan is the oldest city on the island and commonly called the "Taiwan Prefecture, ...

. The dish is made by

steaming Steaming is a method of cooking using steam. This is often done with a food steamer, a kitchen appliance made specifically to cook food with steam, but food can also be steamed in a wok. In the American Southwest, steam pits used for cooking ha ...

glutinous rice once, then putting toppings in it and steaming it again.

Vietnamese

* Bánh bèo is a variety of small steamed rice cake or rice pancake typically featuring a dimple in the center, which is filled with savory ingredients including chopped dried or fresh shrimp, scallions, mung bean paste, crispy fried shallots, fish sauce, rice vinegar, and oil. * Bánh bò is a sweet, chewy sponge cake made from rice flour, water, sugar, and yeast. * Bánh đúc is a cake made from non-glutinous rice flour (although corn flour is also used in northern Vietnam). In the north it is typically garnished with savory ingredients such as ground pork, tôm chấy (grilled ground shrimp), fried onions, sesame seeds, salt, peanuts, lime juice, and soy sauce or fish sauce. In the south, it is served as a dessert, and takes the form of gelatinous blocks that are often colored green by the addition of Pandanus amaryllifolius leaf extract. It is cooked by boiling the ingredients and allowing them to cool, solidifying into a jelly-like sheet that is then cut into blocks. *

Bánh chưng ''Bánh chưng'' or ''banh chung'' is a traditional Vietnamese dish which is made from glutinous rice, mung beans, pork, and other ingredients. According to legend, its origin traces back to Lang Liêu, a prince of the last king of the Sixth ...

is made from glutinous rice, mung bean, pork and other ingredients. Bánh tét is much the same but cut in a circular form, and consumed in celebration of the Vietnamese holiday

Tết Tết (, ), short for (; ), is the most important celebration in Vietnamese culture. Tết celebrates the arrival of spring based on the Vietnamese calendar and usually falls on January or February in the Gregorian calendar. is not to be co ...

. * Bánh tổ is a rice cake made out of

and is related to the Chinese ''

''.

In other cuisines

* Chwee kueh, () is a type of steamed rice cake, a cuisine of

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

and

Johor Johor, also spelled Johore,'' is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia in the south of the Malay Peninsula. It borders with Pahang, Malacca and Negeri Sembilan to the north. Johor has maritime borders with Singapore ...

. It is made by mixing rice flour and water to form a slightly viscous mixture, which is then placed in small cup-shaped containers that look like saucers and steamed, forming a characteristic bowl-like shape when cooked. The rice cakes are topped with diced preserved radish and served with chilli sauce. Chwee kueh is a popular breakfast item in Singapore and Johor. * Puffed rice cakes, popular in North America and other Western countries, are made with puffed rice, a puffed grain usually created by heating rice kernels under

high pressure In science and engineering the study of high pressure examines its effects on materials and the design and construction of devices, such as a diamond anvil cell, which can create high pressure. ''High pressure'' usually means pressures of thousan ...

in the presence of

steam Steam is water vapor, often mixed with air or an aerosol of liquid water droplets. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization. Saturated or superheated steam is inv ...

, though the method of manufacture varies widely. The puffed grains are then bonded together by a wide variety of methods in the form of a cake. They are popular among young children and among health-conscious people as a lower calorie substitute for bread, crackers, or chips. They may be plain, salted, flavored or half coated in chocolate or yogurt. * Rijsttaart and

Rijstevlaai In Dutch and Belgian cuisine, ''rijsttaart(je)''/''rijstevlaai'' (Dutch) or ''tarte au riz'' (French) (, all translate to “rice flan”) is a pie with a filling based on rice pudding. It is native to Verviers and popular around the wider regi ...

in Dutch and Belgian cuisine are kinds of rice pie, with the filling of mixed rice, sugar, eggs and milk. * In

Italian cuisine Italian cuisine is a Mediterranean cuisine#CITEREFDavid1988, David 1988, Introduction, pp. 101–103 consisting of the ingredients, recipes, and cooking techniques developed in Italy since Ancient Roman cuisine, Roman times, and later spread ...

, specifically the cuisine of Tuscany, ''torte di riso'' are rice cakes sometimes eaten as a substantial dessert at the end of a meal. * In

Iranian cuisine Iranian cuisine comprises the culinary traditions of Iran. Due to the historically common usage of the term "Name of Iran, Persia" to refer to Iran in the Western world,Yarshater, EhsaPersia or Iran, Persian or Farsi, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. ...

, Tahchin or Persian baked rice cake is a type of steamed rice cake made with yogurt,

saffron Saffron () is a spice derived from the flower of '' Crocus sativus'', commonly known as the "saffron crocus". The vivid crimson stigma and styles, called threads, are collected and dried for use mainly as a seasoning and colouring agent ...

, eggs, and chicken fillets. * In Nigerian Cuisine, Masa is a rice cake similar to a pan fried rice cake in an oval shape eaten with different stews, and is from the Northern Region particularly the Hausa ethnic group. * Vitumbua is a coastal East- African Swahili dish made of rice or rice flour and coconut eaten mostly for breakfast.

References

{{Lists of prepared foods Chinese rice dishes Indian rice dishes Indonesian rice dishes Italian desserts Japanese rice dishes Korean rice dishes Philippine rice dishes Singaporean rice dishes Steamed foods Taiwanese rice dishes Vietnamese rice dishes Burmese cuisine