Mitarashi dango

Mitarashi dango (みたらし団子、御手洗団子^?) is a type of dango skewered onto sticks in groups of 3–5 (traditionally 5) and covered with a sweet soy sauce glaze. It is characterized by its glassy glaze and burnt fragrance.

Mitarashi dango originates from the Kamo Mitarashi Tea House in the Shimogamo area of Sakyo ward of Kyoto, Japan.

Mitarashi dango is said to be named after the bubbles of the mitarashi (御手洗^?) (purifying water placed at the entrance of a shrine) of the Shimogamo shrine nearby.

Another theory is that the 5-dango version sold at the original tea house was made to imitate a human body; the top-most dango represented the head, and the remaining four represented the arms and legs.

This dango is also sold in supermarkets and convenience stores in Japan. However, these versions of mitarashi dango have a relatively higher proportion of sugar to increase shelf life and are sweeter than those found at traditional tea houses and dango shops.