Can someone give me some symbolic foods in the Japanese Tea Ceremony?

Question:

What do they represent

Answer:

One of the most popular foods used in the Japanese tea ceremony, called chanoyu in Japanese, is a type of sweet rice cake called mochi. Mochi is made by pounding a variety of sticky, slightly sweet paste until it becomes a very sticky, stretchy substance which is often filled with a sweet red bean paste called anko.

The delicate sweetness of the mochi and anko compliments the bitterness of the tea and both are prepared with presentation in mind so match each other very well.

Mochi is a type of wagashi, a Japanese confectionary made with natural ingredients. There are other types of wagashi that are also enjoyed with the tea ceremony such as daifuku which is similar to mochi and something called yokan. Yokan is a sweet jelly made from anko and agar jelly. Another option is kuri, or sweet Japanese water chestnuts.

These are all just sweet finger foods to accompany the tea, but there are also full meals called kaiseki ryori which is often eaten as part of the tea ceremony. Kaiseki ryori is a full course meal made from the finest quality, natural ingredients. Each ingredient is selected for the season, its presentation and taste in relation to the other ingredients it is presented with.

Hope this helps.