I've been meant to ask a Japanese person, what are Dango made of? Sticky rice flower? Are they sweet or savory?Why are they called "Dan-go" not "Dan-ko" like in other Japanese name such as "Kyo-ko"....too many questions?
I'm a Japanese student, not a Japanese person, but I can answer your questions, or at least the second one.
Spoiler:
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In Japanese, consonants come in voiced, unvoiced pairs-- k/g, t/d, s/z, etc. During the pronunciation of some Japanese words, the vowels surrounding a consonant can cause it to undergo a type of vocalization called "Rendaku". Thus, sometimes unvoiced things, like "ko" in "dango" and "hako" in "gomibako" (trash bin) become voices when compounded into larger words. You actually see it a lot with types of sushi-- nigirizushi, makizushi, etc. My favorite professor at my college had a Japanese Linguistics course, and we talked about that phenomenon a lot. It's not just a phonetic thing, either, as it has some effects on the structure of compound words themselves... Like the difference between a nuribashbako (A box for lacquered chopsticks) and a nurihashibako (A lacquered box for chopsticks)
Sorry for the rant, I have a habit of going nerd mode on things like that: TL:DR It's a voicing change due to surrounding vowels called Rendaku.
As for Dango themselves, they are made of a sticky, glutinous rice flour. They're sweet, from what I know of them, being filled with typical Japanese confectionary staples like green tea flavoring or anko (sweet red bean paste). Though, I think that you can find some filled with meat called nikudango.
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Great job!
My favorite professor at my college had a Japanese Linguistics course, and we talked about that phenomenon a lot. It's not just a phonetic thing, either, as it has some effects on the structure of compound words themselves... Like the difference between a nuribashbako (A box for lacquered chopsticks) and a nurihashibako (A lacquered box for chopsticks)
Sorry for the rant, I have a habit of going nerd mode on things like that:
TL:DR It's a voicing change due to surrounding vowels called Rendaku.
As for Dango themselves, they are made of a sticky, glutinous rice flour. They're sweet, from what I know of them, being filled with typical Japanese confectionary staples like green tea flavoring or anko (sweet red bean paste). Though, I think that you can find some filled with meat called nikudango.
now I really want a green tea flavor dessert.....
The 20 rads kind of spoils it, though...