O Mochi is simply a rice cake. It can take many shapes, dyed many colors and served many different ways.

To make mochi, you steam Japanese (unprocessed) rice and pound it into a thick paste. Commercial mochi is made by machine but you can still find it made the old fashioned way during this season. The rice is placed in a large wooden or stone bowl-type container and pounded with a long tapered mallet until the grains of rice become a semi-solid but stringy consistancy. When the mochi is ready it is kind of like a soft taffy. Mochi is then usually rolled into sheets and cut or rolled into bun-sized balls and stuffed, wrapped in seaweed, covered with sweet beans or various other garnishes. I've known folks who pour maple syrup on it. I can be grilled, cooked in soup or eaten uncooked.

Mochi is not exclusively made and eaten at New Years but it is a very common during the New Year celebration.

A word of warning if you are offered mochi by your Japanese friends or venture out to the local supermarkets. Mochi is so sticky that people have choked (and even died) because the mochi gets stuck in their throat. So if eating mochi, take small bites and chew it well. Now enjoy.