Kibi dango (millet dumpling) facts for kids
Kibi dango (黍団子, きびだんご) is a type of Japanese dumpling. It is made from a grain called kibi (proso millet). This sweet treat is famous from the Japanese folktale of Momotarō, also known as the Peach Boy. In the story, Momotarō uses these dumplings to get help from his animal friends.
Today, this millet dumpling is often confused with another sweet. This other sweet is also called Kibi dango. It is named after the Kibi Province (now Okayama Prefecture). However, the modern Kibi dango from Okayama hardly uses any millet. Even so, makers of this sweet still link it to Momotarō. People in Okayama also try to say Momotarō came from their area.
Usually, kibi dango uses a sticky type of proso millet. This kind is called mochi kibi. It is different from the regular millet used for other sweets.
History of Kibi Dango
The term kibi dango (millet dumpling) has been used for a long time. It appeared in a diary from 1488. A Japanese-Portuguese dictionary from 1603 also listed "qibidango." It defined it as a "millet dumpling."
Similar foods existed even before that. An essay from 1862 noted these foods were made from millet or other ground grains. They were steamed and pounded. People back then called them bei, which is the same word as mochi.
Kibi Dango and Kibitsu Shrine
The Kibitsu Shrine in the old Kibi Province has a link to kibi dango. This is because the name "Kibi" sounds like kibi (millet). This wordplay was noted in poems from the early 1600s.
One poem was written by a lord named Hosokawa Yūsai around 1610. It talks about pounding millet into dumplings at the shrine. This suggests that kibi dango was likely served to visitors there. Some sources even say it was sold at Kibitsu Shrine back then.
Another poem, a haiku, from 1651 also mentions the shrine. It says, "Oh, mochi-like snow, Japan's number one Kibi dango." The phrase "Japan's number one kibi dango" is important. It is also found in the Momotarō story. For a time, people thought this proved a very early link to Momotarō. However, later studies showed that this phrase did not appear in the Momotarō tale until much later.
In more recent times, new stories linked the shrine's god, Kibitsuhiko-no-mikoto, to kibi dango. In 1895, a sweet shop owner claimed Kibitsuhiko made kibi dango for an emperor. Later, in 1930, a historian wrote that Kibitsuhiko's story of fighting an ogre was the start of the Momotarō tale. This led to many efforts to say Momotarō came from Okayama Prefecture.
Kibi Dango in the Momotarō Story
In the popular version of the Momotarō story, the hero shares his "kibi dango" with a dog, a pheasant, and a monkey. By doing this, he gains their loyalty and help.
However, early written versions of the Momotarō story did not always call the food "kibi dango." Some older tales from the late 1600s mention "ten-count dumplings" (とう団子, 十団子). Other stories used names like "Great Buddha cake" or "ikuyo mochi." The famous phrase "Japan's number one" was also not linked to Momotarō's kibi dango until around 1736.
