The Japanese diet is known for being one of the healthiest in the world but along with the low fat, mineral rich sushi, they still have room for some sweet treats.
There are lots of weird and wonderful Japanese sweets for people with a weakness for confectionary, in lots of different flavours. Chocolate, sweets and biscuits are a culinary market that has grown significantly since the end of the Second World War, helped along by the adoption of popular Western festivals like Valentine’s Day and Christmas.
Pocky is one of the most commonly found sweets and has been a staple of Japanese shop shelves since the 1960s. It consists of pretzel sticks, coated with a variety of different toppings. The original flavour was milk chocolate but now it comes dipped in everything from strawberry or banana to honey and green tea. There is even a mysteriously titled Men’s Pocky which is the dark chocolate version. A similar product called Mikado has recently been released on European markets though purists will tell you that Pocky is the best.
Green tea may not be the first thing that springs to mind when thinking of confectionary but it is a very popular flavour in Japan for deserts, ice cream and sweet treats. It is delicious but has a very distinctive, tangy taste that takes the edge off very sugary dishes. Ginger is often used to the same effect as a desert flavouring with a bit of an edge.
Combining chocolate with biscuit is very common and appeals to the nation’s love of adding texture to its food. With many confectionaries, it also enables them to indulge the popularity of quirky and cute characters. In Japan, home of Manga, cartoon characters are not just loved by children but adults of all ages as well. There are a number of popular character-shaped confectionaries such as Lotte Koala - bite-sized biscuits filled with milk chocolate in the shape of a koala bear with a picture of the cartoon creature printed on the shell.
Other ‘cute’ sweets include fish-shaped Meiji Pucca Chocolate which has a slightly salty, crunchy shell that compliments the smooth chocolate inside and, also made by Meiji, Choco Baby which are small milk chocolate treats printed with stars and smiley faces.
Lots of Japanese confectionaries are ideal for snacking and sharing and combine texture and unusual flavours with classic sweetness. There is an emphasis on unique characters and combinations that may just change your mind about the Western dominance of the sweet food market.
Japanese food is an explosion of flavours colours and textures and pickled fruit and vegetables are an essential part of the culinary experience.
Tsukemono (pickled things) are a far cry from onions or red cabbage and include vegetables, fruits and condiments that are served as an accompaniment, a garnish and even a dish in their own right in Japanese homes and restaurants. The tradition dates back to the days before refrigeration when pickling was an important way to preserve food.
Unlike western pickles, the Japanese don’t often use vinegar as the main preservative, preferring salt or brine which gives the pickles a unique taste and maintains a crunchy texture. There are hundreds of different varieties and combinations of tsukemono, each with a unique flavour which is enhanced by using other popular ingredients in the pickling process such as mirin, sake, soy sauce or miso paste. Most pickles are very flexible in terms of how they can be eaten and what with and add an interesting flavour and texture dimension to different dishes, from sushi to noodles to Japanese curry.
Delicate slices of pickled gari ginger are an essential accompaniment to sushi. They are eaten with the sushi rolls as a garnish or between sushi with different fillings or courses of a meal as a tangy palate cleanser. Ginger is also pickled in thin, red strips known as Beni Shoga which is served as a garnish on hot dishes such as meat dishes and yakisoba (fried noodles).
Daikon radish, known as Takuan is another popular pickled vegetable with a bright yellow colour and sweet, crunchy taste that is very versatile. It is served grated with pork steaks covered in panko breadcrumbs or finely sliced with mixed leaves in salads. It can also be finely sliced and added to sushi or used to flavour stews or hot dishes and is often served at the end of a meal as it is believed to aid digestion.
In Japan, fruit is also pickled and served with savoury dishes. Umeboshi is made from Ume fruits which are described as plums but are more similar in colour and texture to apricots. They have a sour taste and are often stuffed inside onigiri rice balls for a quick breakfast or a lunchtime snack and believed to have numerous health benefits including beating fatigue.
One of the best ways to sample Japanese pickles is to try a mixed selection which are ready available and offer a range of flavours. Fukujinzuke is a selection of seven different vegetables which can be served as a snack or side dish, used to fill onigiri rice balls or to garnish maki sushi. Another great pickle for sushi lovers is Shiba Zuke which is a mix of aubergine, cucumber and ginger.
The great thing about Japanese pickles is you can eat them with almost everything – stews, rice, sushi or even as a quick snack. Whatever your taste there will be a flavour and a texture out there you are bound to love which is a great reason to try something new and unique with your food.
