Mitarashi dango

Mitarashi dango are skewered rice dumplings coated in a sweetened soy sauce glaze. Nippon.com's guide to Shimogamo Shrine in Kyoto says they originated there and describes them as steamed rice dough balls in a sweetened sauce, served on skewers.

The name is linked to a spring: the dumplings were apparently inspired by the bubbles welling up from the spring that feeds Mitarashi Pond in front of the shrine. The original namesake of the treat can be enjoyed there to this day.

A separate Nippon.com article explains that dango are steamed or boiled dumplings made from glutinous rice flour, often enjoyed on bamboo skewers, and often slathered in anko, sweetened soy sauce or green soybean paste. The sweetened soy sauce version gives mitarashi dango its glossy, salty-sweet coating over a soft, chewy dumpling.