Dorayaki

Dorayaki is a type of Japanese confection. It consists of two small pancake-like patties made from castella wrapped around a filling of sweet azuki bean paste.

Dorayaki

Alternative names	Mikasa
Type	Wagashi pancake
Place of origin	Japan
Main ingredients	Castella, azuki bean paste
Variations	Pudding dorayaki, fruit dorayaki, parfait dorayaki
Media: Dorayaki

Cross-section of a dorayaki containing 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.^[1]

In Japanese, dora means "gong" 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 Temple.

There is however a rumor it is probably the origin of the name of the sweet.^[2][1] Legend has it that the first dorayaki were made when a samurai 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.^[1]

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 (三笠). The word originally means triple straw hat, but is also an alternative name of Mount Wakakusa, a low hill with gentle slopes located in Nara. In Nara, a larger mikasa of about 30 cm in diameter is made.^[3]

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.^[4][5][6]

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 Korea