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Uirō

Japanese steamed cake

Wikipedia contributorsAdapted for Fathomly · View authors
1 min read
Source updated July 13, 2026
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Uirō (Japanese: 外郎, 外良, ういろう), also known as uirō-mochi (外郎餅), is a traditional Japanese steamed cake made of glutinous rice flour and sugar. It is chewy, similar to mochi, and subtly sweet. Flavors include azuki bean paste, green tea (matcha), yuzu, strawberry and chestnut. Nagoya is particularly famous for its uirō, and there are other regional versions, notably in Yamaguchi and Odawara, although Odawara's uirō is better known as a medicine. It can be purchased in traditional Japanese confectionery shops throughout Japan.

Uirō was originally the name of a medicine in the Muromachi period (1336, 1573). References to uirō as a confection first appear in the Wa-Kan Sansai Zue, Ryōan Terajima's massive Edo-period dictionary published in 1712.

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This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Uirō”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

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