noun
gohei mochi; skewered rice cakes with miso sauce
A regional dish from the Chūbu region, especially Nagano, Gifu, and Aichi prefectures. Pounded rice is shaped into cakes, skewered, grilled, and coated with a sweet miso or soy-sauce-based glaze.
長野県の道の駅で五平餅を食べた。
I ate gohei mochi at a roadside station in Nagano Prefecture.
五平餅は、味噌だれの香ばしい香
The fragrant miso glaze of gohei mochi whets the appetite.
The name is said to come from the shape resembling a gohei (御幣), a wooden wand with paper streamers used in Shinto rituals. The exact origin is uncertain, but it is strongly associated with the mountainous regions of central Japan.