noun
akumaki; glutinous rice cake wrapped in bamboo leaf and soaked in lye
A traditional sweet from Kagoshima and other regions, made by wrapping glutinous rice in bamboo leaves and boiling in lye water. The lye gives it a distinctive texture and preservative quality.
鹿児島では、端午の節句にあくまきを食べる習慣があります。
In Kagoshima, there is a custom of eating akumaki during the Boys' Festival.
あくまきは、もち米を竹の皮で包み、灰汁で煮込んで作られます。
Akumaki is made by wrapping glutinous rice in bamboo leaves and boiling it in lye.
ちまき is a similar rice cake wrapped in bamboo leaves, but it is steamed and often associated with the Dragon Boat Festival. あくまき is distinct in its use of lye for preparation.
From 灰汁 (aku, 'lye') + 巻き (maki, 'wrapped'). The name reflects the preparation method of wrapping rice and boiling it in lye.