As with many of my classmates, the relationship between food and biochemistry is incredibly interesting to me! So, in this post, I wanted to talk about one of my favorite foods – mochi. If you’ve ever tried mochi, you know that it is very stretchy rice cake, usually stuffed with red bean paste.
In class, we discussed how some polysaccharides can be completely linear, while others branch at various places by connecting to different carbon numbers on the carbon ring. What actually gives mochi its characteristic elasticity is this small difference – the starches that make up mochi have many branches, making it more “solid” and stretchy and delicious!
That’s so cool! Did your source mention whether this would be true for any rice cake? For instance, would Korean ddeokbokki be chewy for the same reason?
By the way, if you like Mochi, there’s a great Bubble Tea place at Harvard Square that also sells a variety of Mochi ice cream. It’s right by Raven Bookstore!
It’s so fascinating that what we are talking about in class can be applied to our everyday lives including our favorite foods! Likewise Houda, I love mochi! next time, I have it, I’ll definitely have to think twice about its structure.