Japanese ingredients and ways of cooking go hand in hand with Japanese culture 　and customs. 　Please enjoy essays on Japanese foods related to four seasons in Japan.
		Making Mochi
		Rice Porridge with Seven Grasses
		Pepper

	▲　Making Mochi (memories around the year-end days) ▲ My  family made rice cake for preparing New Year  around on Dec. 30th. At first they made Kagamimochi to be displayed at the alter offering to the gods. Her family, running Brewing store, Kagamimochi’s diameters is more than 30cm. And then they made round mochi for zoni, In Kansai are they make a round mochi by hand just like her family, although in Kanto area they spread Mochi, and cut it into square shape after becoming hard the next day. While making mochi, they became hungry so they made ankoro-mochi (rice cake coated with sweat bean jam) and ate it.   Also they ate just pounded mochi dressing with grated daikon and soy sauce. She remembers that her mother, saying “Since it is called rice cake with grated daikon radish is good for digestion. . . It is gentle to the stomach.”, and Mother used to make her eat rice cake. That was a special taste for the family who make rice cake at own home.  It is a nostalgic taste. 　　　　　　　+++　Yoriko's Memory　+++
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◆　Seven Spring Vegetables ◆
	We have a custom of eating rice porridge with seven spring vegetables, or herbs on January 7 in Japan. Chop up fine seven spring vegetables (seri nazuna, gogyo, hakobe, hotokenoza, Suzuki, suzusiro), boil them in the rice porridge for a short time, add salt for seasoning , and serve. Though these days, we can buy the seven spring vegetables already packaged together at the supermarket, on January 6. I walk along the footpaths between rice paddies near my house with an illustrated book of plants in one hand picking several spring herbs every year. I find four or five kinds, if not all seven. So, our rice porridge often contains only five spring herbs. Why don’t you go out and pick them on a sunny day? Taking a walk is good to resolve the lack of exercise during the New Year’s holidays, and you will find a lot of nature in Kyoto if you extend your walk a little bit. Maybe some of you have gained weight due to lack of exercise and lots of delicious food during the New Year’s holidays. Rice porridge is very good for dieting. It is not only for January 7. We can cook it any time we like. Spring vegetables are rich in vitamins and minerals, so the porridge with them is really good for one’s health. Do you know the song, "Ton, ton, ton (sounds of a knife on a cutting board). Before the birds of China come flying, before the birds of Japan come flying, let's cut up seven vegetables." When I got married and came to Kyoto, I was surprise to see my father-in-law preparing the rice porridge, singing this song. I have not heard my mother sing such a song in my hometown. I heard there are various songs. If you know one, please tell me. The view that birds of China mean infectious disease seems trustworthy. The song shows how deeply people wished for health and, thus, kept the custom of eating rice porridge. Anyway, Kyoto Cooking Circle proposes you recipes for healthy and delicious dishes with familiar ingredients in season, wishing you health. Thank you. By Yori -chan
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●　Pepper　●

Pepper is one of the most popular and indispensable seasonings in western cooking. Maybe you know there are two types of peppers; white and black. Do you know how they are different? Black pepper is made from unripe berries dried whole, while white pepper is made from ripe husked berries. The Chinese character 胡 is used in such word as 胡瓜(cucumber),胡麻(sesame), and　胡桃(walnut). The ancient north western Chinese people were called　胡(ko) and perhaps what come from that area have胡(ko) in their names. 胡椒(pepper) is native to tropical countries like India and was brought to Japan through China. The name胡椒(pepper) shows the deep relationship between China and Japan. Pepper and other things were brought to Japan by merchant who traveled along the Silk Road and Japanese envoys to China in the Jung dynasty. What kind of clothes were they dressed in? An elderly man with a white beard and turban like Marco Polo and a Buddhist priest like Ganjin occur to me. I loved history books with pictures when I was little, and now I'm fond of imagining things like this. I'm afraid I might be a little strange. By Yori-chan

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