Kagawa prefecture products

Sanuki Mochi Wheat Daishimochi

Sanuki Mochi Mugi Daishimochi Pictures

"Sanuki Mochi Mugi Daishi Mochi" was born in Zentsuji City, the birthplace of Kobo Daishi Kukai.If you mix it with white rice and cook it, you can eat it deliciously with a chewy and poppy texture.
It is rich in β-glucan, a kind of dietary fiber, and is attracting attention for its health benefits, such as "moderating postprandial rise in blood sugar" and "regulating the condition of the stomach".It was the first Daishimochi variety in Japan to be approved as a food with functional claims.

Seasonal season

Time to go around Peak season (seasonal season)

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Main production area: Zentsuji Temple

Features of Kagawa products

[About varieties]
Daishimochi is barley of "Hadaka Mugi Rokujo Mochi".There are two types of barley: "naked barley" and "barley barley." Unlike barley with a skin that adheres tightly to the grain and is difficult to peel off, the skin of naked barley is easy to peel off after threshing.In addition, there are two types of barley: two-rowed barley, which has two rows of fruit, and six-rowed barley, which has six rows of fruit.Furthermore, just as rice has “non-glutinous rice” and “glutinous rice”, barley also has “non-glutinous” and “glutinous” properties, and Daishimochi corresponds to sticky properties.It is highly viscous, and when heated, it becomes springy and elastic.
Anthocyanin pigments give the ears a purple color before harvest.The scenery of purple wheat fluttering in the wind has become a feature of Zentsuji City.
[About nutrition]
Daishimochi contains more than 30 times more dietary fiber than white rice, and contains a good balance of insoluble and soluble dietary fiber.Among them, 100g contains 5,400mg of β-glucan, which is the main nutrient of water-soluble dietary fiber, and is expected to have health benefits.

○Health benefits of β-glucan
・Reduces visceral fat by suppressing fat absorption in the intestine
・Reduces total cholesterol and bad cholesterol (LDL) in the blood
・Suppression of rapid rise in blood sugar level after meals
・Increase good bacteria
・Eliminate constipation by adjusting the intestinal environment

In 2018, it was the first Daishimochi variety in Japan to receive approval as a Food with Function Claims for two items: "Slowing rise in postprandial blood sugar level" and "Regulating stomach condition."
brand development

[Breed improvement]
Zentsuji City in Kagawa Prefecture has relatively mild winters with little rainfall and is blessed with well-drained soil, making it suitable for barley cultivation.Also, in the Setouchi region, the conventional variety of purple-grained glutinous barley has been cultivated as a substitute for glutinous rice since ancient times.However, conventional cultivars had the problem of being prone to lodging due to their long stems.Therefore, the Kinki Chugoku-Shikoku Agricultural Research Center (currently National Agriculture and Food Research Organization) worked on breed improvement, and in 1997, it became lodged due to short culms (short stems). A strong, sticky barley was born.This is Daishimochi.
Daishimochi was named after Kobo Daishi Kukai, who was born in Zentsuji City, because the research center where it was developed was located in Zentsuji City.
Daishimochi produced in Zentsuji City is sold under the brand name of “Sanuki Mochi Mugi Daishimochi” (registered trademark).
[About production]
"Sanuki Mochi Mugi Daishi Mochi" is managed by the Zentsuji Agricultural Land Management Public Corporation, and in Zentsuji City, only 4 groups and 4 individuals (2023) are permitted to grow it.Producers have set up a Daishimochi production committee to establish cultivation methods and quality control.
At the beginning of the project, the cultivation area was only a few hectares, but by 2022 the cultivation area has grown to 28 hectares and the production volume has grown to 117 tons.In recent years, consumers have become more health-conscious, and the fact that Daishimochi has attracted attention as a health food is also boosting consumption.
[About polished barley]
Barley is hard as it is and cannot be eaten even if it is cooked with white rice.After harvesting, the barley is milled so that it can be eaten in the same way as rice.Generally, barley is softened by steaming and crushed with a roller to process barley.There was also the problem that glutinous Daishimochi became sticky when steamed, making it difficult to mill barley well.
Therefore, Takahata Seimugi Co., Ltd. (Zentsuji City), which has advanced barley polishing technology, researched a method of polishing barley that can be eaten deliciously even if it is cooked with white rice.As a result of repeated trial and error, we succeeded in processing round barley by shaving about 1% and steaming without applying steam.As a result, it became possible to eat deliciously just by mixing Daishimochi with white rice and cooking it as usual.
[Introduction of processed products]
A local trading company in Zentsuji City, "Mandegan Co., Ltd." is developing various products using Sanuki Mochi Mugi Daishimochi.We make a variety of products that can be eaten by children and adults, such as boiled barley, curry, croquettes, bracken-starch dumplings, udon noodles, shochu, and pancake mixes.In Zentsuji City, there are many shops that use Sanuki Mochi Mugi Daishi Mochi for side dishes, sweets, bread, etc., and the whole town is promoting Sanuki Mochi Mugi Daishi Mochi.
delicious way to eat

Just by mixing Sanuki Mochi Mugi Daishi Mochi with white rice and cooking it, you can make “rice with mochi barley” with a chewy texture.
・For 1 go (150g) of white rice, use 2 tablespoons (30g) of glutinous barley.
　*Adjust the amount of glutinous barley to your liking.
・Wash white rice and glutinous barley together.
・Add the same amount of water as the amount of glutinous barley added and cook.
・If you soak it in water for about 2 hours and then cook it, it will be chewy.

Share this prefecture product!

A comedian who lives in Kagawa, “Tsuyoshi Kaji” reports on local products

The 78th Sanuki Mochi Wheat Daishimochi

Watch the video "The 78th Sanuki Mochi Mugi Daishi Mochi"

Mr. Mitsuo Fukuda from Zentsuji City

Organization name	Daishimochi Production Committee
Group location	Bunkyo Town, Zentsuji City, Kagawa Prefecture
Recommended way of eating	Curry rice, egg over rice
Prefecture retail store	Prefectural supermarkets, Zentsuji City special product sales shop "Oshaberi Hiroba", etc.

We have been cultivating Sanuki Mochi Mugi Daishimochi since 2014.
I trained under the strict cultivation management of the seed rice producer of the naked barley "Ichibanboshi" and learned the attitude of being involved in agriculture.Currently cultivated in a field of 12ha (2023).The most important thing in cultivating Daishimochi is to ensure good drainage in the field.Ditches are dug around each field to drain water.The corners of the field are done by hand because machines cannot enter.It's a lot of work, but I try to keep the cultivation method and quality control so that the reputation of Daishimochi doesn't drop.I would like many people to eat it, and I would like to make it exciting so that when people think of Zentsuji City, they think of “Sanuki Mochi Mugi Daishi Mochi”.