noun
adzuki bean-covered mochi; botamochi
A traditional Japanese sweet made of glutinous rice cake coated with sweet adzuki bean paste. Often associated with spring and the peony flower (牡丹).
春のお彼岸には、ぼた餅をお供えします。
During the spring equinox, we offer botamochi.
祖母が作る
The botamochi my grandmother makes are delicious, with plenty of sweet bean paste.
Similar sweet rice cake coated with adzuki paste, but typically associated with autumn and the bush clover (萩). The two are essentially the same food with seasonal name differences.
The name 牡丹餅 (botamochi) comes from the resemblance to a peony flower (牡丹). The reading ぼたもち is a straightforward combination of 牡丹 (botan) and 餅 (mochi).