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Love Garlic? Love Chocolate? Why Not Try Garlic Chocolate?

YumSugar — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 13:43:19 -0800

Lisa at TokyoMango tipped us off to the latest trend in Japanese candy. The Japanese have become known for their interesting flavor combos, and this time a company in Aomori, one of Japan's top garlic-producing regions, is combining garlic and chocolate.

Their product is called "black garlic chocolate" and it is a piece of fermented black garlic, covered with chocolate and sprinkled in cocoa powder. A garlic truffle if you will. The black garlic is said to have a sweet-and-sour, prune-like taste.

Although Japan is usually the first to create such offbeat flavors, this is not the first time I've heard of chocolate and garlic. The folks at the Gilroy Garlic Festival have been doing this for years. However this may be the first time I've heard of fermented prune-like garlic. You know I'd love to try a piece? How about you?

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Yummy Link: Kit Kat Lucky Littles

YumSugar — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 05:37:11 -0800

While the US candy market is busy shoving caffeine into its products, the Japanese market is busy making their products cuter. This time it's Kit Kat Lucky Littles, which is a bit like Kit Kat Bites, only cuter and cherry blossom colored. — Japan Marketing News

Japan's New Snack: Strawberry Cheetos

YumSugar — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 07:28:11 -0800

When I think of Cheetos, I think of crunchy cheesy goodness that turns your fingers bright orange. I do not think of strawberry or chocolate. However, the folks at Frito-Lay in Japan apparently do. These Strawberry Cheetos have just hit the shelves in Tokyo. I think they sound a bit intriguing, they're essential plain cheetos with a strawberry frosting. I'm pretty sure there isn't a cheese flavoring, although fruit and cheese go well together so I wouldn't be surprised if it was.

Oh and if you're wondering why strawberry and not chocolate? Well, it's simple, they already have a chocolate version.

So what do you think? Would you try these?

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Chocolate-Covered Strawberries Are Great, But Why Not Chocolate-Infused Strawberries?

YumSugar — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 12:18:31 -0800

A lot of you agreed that we didn't really need a grape-apple hybrid. However, what do you think of a strawberry-chocolate hybrid? Tokyo-based Fresh Functional Food Composite (FCOM) is using infusion technology to create white-chocolate strawberries and chocolate currants. They first freeze dry the fruit, thus removing any water, and infuse it with chocolate. The company has also previously tested out the technology by infusing apples with red wine.

It all sounds pretty crazy to me — can't I just have strawberries and chocolate? — yet I know I'd give it a try if I saw them on the shelves.

If you're skeptical about the whole thing I should also mention that the company is considering using the technology to infuse food with various nutrients and vitamins.

Now the real question is, will these ever hit the American market?

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Would You Drink This Curry Soda?

YumSugar — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 06:01:18 -0800

I found this Japanese curry flavored lemonade soda over at Tokyo Times and I want to know, would you give it a try? It sounds like it could be awful, but I can't wait to see what it tastes like!

Would You Drink This Curry Soda?

Sure thing, it could be interesting.

Maybe, if someone else said it tasted nice.

Curry and soda? No thanks!

Other - let us know below!

Yummy Link: Ice Cream City

YumSugar — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 06:27:11 -0800

Oh please tell me that they're opening up a food theme park called Ice Cream City here in my neighborhood! Pretty please! — Cooking with Amy

$130,000 Cake, Just Don't Eat the Decorations

YumSugar — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 06:28:33 -0700

If you think wedding cakes are expensive, you should try comparing them to this Platinum Cake by Japanese pastry chef Nobue Ikara. Draped in platinum necklaces, pendants and pins, this white cake is worth over $130,000.

The cake itself is dedicated to several famous Japanese women, including actress Rinko Kikuchi (from Babel) and model Chie Kumasawa and was commissioned in order to entice women to buy more platinum jewelry.

Mikiko Ichikawa, of the Platinum Guild, said: "I think platinum and a white cake is the best possible combination as a present for women because both have the same colour of white, which is said to have pureness and brightness that lasts forever."

What do you think? Does it make you want to buy more platinum?

Source: Platinum Today via Luxist

How Does Bread In A Can Sound To You?

YumSugar — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 15:03:09 -0700

If you walk down the canned food aisle at your local supermarket you'll find canned fish, canned peas, canned beans and even canned meat. But what if I told you that you might find canned bread?? The B&M company's been making a canned brown bread (with or without raisins) for ages, however folks in Japan have stepped it up a notch. In Japan you can actually purchase several different kinds of canned bread — chocolate chip, coffee, fruit and nuts, and raisin and fruit, not just "brown" flavor. The cans were originally intended to be used as emergency rations, however they are now available in vending machines throughout Japan. Perfect for when that 3am carb attack hits.

What do you guys think? Would you try it?

Source: Tokyo Times

Folks Are Buzzing Over These Rice Crackers

YumSugar — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 14:48:19 -0700

I am imagining an odd conversation that goes like this:

So what does your grandpa do for a living? Is he retired?

No, he's a wasp hunter.

A what?

A wasp hunter. He hunts wasps in Omachi, Japan. They're used in rice crackers.

Rice crackers?!?

The thing is, this conversation could actually happen. In Omachi, Japan — 120 miles northwest of Tokyo — rice cracker makers have created a new product by adding wasps to the recipe. The wasps are hunted by elderly folks from the village and are caught in nearby forests. But before they are put into crackers, they are boiled, dried and then added to the mix.

Source: Neatorama

Yummy Link: The Subtle Art of Eating Blowfish

YumSugar — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 09:28:33 -0700

If I ever find my way back to Japan, I will have to remember this three part series on the subtle art of eating blowfish. - Gadling

Rub a Dub Tub Full of Ramen

YumSugar — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 06:57:31 -0700

At the Yunessun Spa Resort in Hakone, Japan you can enjoy more than 25 different kinds of spa related services and recreational water activities. While there are plenty of normal spa treatments, and wild water slides for the adventurous, it is their unusual foodie soaks that keep folks interested. From now until September 26, you'll be able to enjoy a ramen bath, with or without curry.

If the idea of soaking in broth doesn't tickle your fancy, then perhaps a soak in green tea, coffee, or red wine will do the trick?

To check out video footage of the new ramen bath,

Would You Drink a Mayogarita?

YumSugar — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 03:21:18 -0700

In news of the weird, Tokyo restaurant, Mayonnaise Kitchen, is serving up a new drink called the Mayogarita. The drink, which is just one of many mayonnaise based concoctions, is white due to a hint of the creamy dressing. If the Mayogarita isn't up your alley, then how about a drink called the Mayoty Dog? This one is a vodka-based cocktail served in a glass with mayonnaise on the rim instead of salt.

If this sounds disgusting to you, then you may want to completely steer clear from the Mayonnaise Kitchen. The restaurant, which is in suburban Tokyo, features mayonnaise on everything it serves - including spaghetti, tempura and fondue. Many older Japanese are not thrilled with the Western condiment, however the younger generation is embracing the creamy concoction. In fact, they even have a word for mayo fanatatics: Mayolers.

So how about you, are you are mayoler? Would you try a mayogarita, or would you stay the h-e-double-hockey-sticks away?

Source: Spluch

Would You Eat Raw Meat Sushi?

YumSugar — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 07:54:31 -0700

My gal Giggle sent me this video the other day. We all know about fish sashimi, but have you heard of horse, deer, or chicken sushi?! Be sure to check out the video and then tell me, would you eat raw meat sushi?

Would You Eat Raw Meat Sushi?

Sure, I'll try anything once.

Maybe, it would depend on the meat.

No way! What are you, crazy?!?

I'd try it, but I know I won't like it, so why bother?

Other - Tell us in the comments.

Happy Hour: Ultraman Wine

YumSugar — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 13:13:32 -0700

For those of you who are in to Japanese pop-culture, you better rush out and order your very own Ultraman wine. The commemorative 40th anniversary bottle comes complete with matching glass. Limited to only 777 sets, each bottle will cost ¥9800 (that's about $83.25). Oh and they're only taking orders until September 28, so if you're interested in this futuristic merlot, you better act now!

Source: Plastic Bamboo and Alt Japan

Pizza Hut's "Double Roll" Continues To Blow My Mind

YumSugar — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 11:15:50 -0700

Remember the insanely crazy Double Roll Pizza from Pizza Hut Japan? If you didn't believe it was true, all I can say is check out this video below. Not only does this pizza continue to deliver with mind-blowing awesome-ness, but the chime of "Sausage Roolllll Oooooh" in the background is enough to make your jaw drop and your mouth drool. Just look at the size of those rolls! To check out the entire commercial,

Pizza Hut's "Double Roll" Is Blowing My Mind

YumSugar — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 12:52:56 -0700

Wow. Really that's all you need to say about Pizza Hut's "Double Roll" pizza - hot dog stuffed crust pizza with corn, mini- hamburger patties and a whole lot more. I really don't have much else to say except for that a medium costs ¥2500 ($20.50) and a large will set you back ¥3550 ($29). Oh and like most amazing things, it's only available in Japan. If anyone can translate the ad, please let us know what it says in the comments.

Update: The fine folks at Slice NY have pointed out that the ad has the date Sept 9, 2007 in it. Does this mean it's a limited edition pizza? Oh and what's stuffed into the right-hand side and why does it have a maple leaf instead of a tomato? Is it a sweet maple syrup sauce?!

Source: Plastic Bamboo

Yummy Link: Wacky Shaped Watermelon

YumSugar — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 04:08:39 -0700

I don't know if you recall, but a few years back Japanese farmers made the news with square watermelon. This time the melons are shaped like faces, hearts, stars and more. - Ping Mag

Is Your Soy Sauce Really Soy Sauce?

YumSugar — Mon, 14 May 2007 12:05:24 -0700

Soy sauce is soy sauce, right? Wrong. There's actually a bit of a feud brewing (or should I make that fermenting?) between the Japanese and the US Codex Alimentarius Commission. Right now there's no labeling distinction between traditional soy sauce (which is brewed and fermented from soybeans) and the American "knock-offs" (extract of soybean and some other protein, flavor enhancer and artificial colorings). The committees in the Codex Commissions have "harmonized hundreds of food standards since the 1960s" and the Japanese want them to set a standard for soy sauce similar to the one used in Japan.

The Japanese manufacturing process, used by companies such as Kikkoman Corp., dates to the 17th century. This so-called "natural brewing" process involves blending wheat, soybeans and a mold, and letting the culture ferment for several months before refining and bottling the sauce.

Food snobs and consumer groups here and in Japan consider non-brewed soy sauce an impostor since it contains caramel color, corn syrup, salt and what is called hydrolyzed soy (or some other protein), in which the protein is reduced to an amino acid to create what is essentially a flavor enhancer.

There's currently a proposal in place that would continue to call both products "soy sauce" in which one would be labeled "Naturally Brewed" and the other "non-brewed."

However, not everyone's pleased with this compromise. The International Hydrolyzed Protein Council, whose members make the "non-brewed" soy sauce, are arguing against the labeling proposal. Martin J. Hahn, an executive director of the trade group stated:

"These products have been manufactured here and around the world for decades and sold as soy sauce, and there have been no complaints from consumers."

What do you guys think? Should they have to label themselves, or does it not bother you?

Source: Washington Post

Free Drinks (Of Course There's a Catch)

YumSugar — Fri, 11 May 2007 01:18:39 -0700

What if I told you that you could have whatever you wanted out of the vending machine for free? You'd think I was talking crazy, wouldn't you? Turns out it's not such a crazy idea. Vending machine operator Apex Corp. (sorry folks they only vend in Japan) is trying out this idea. They'll soon offer coffee & other non-alocholic beverages for free (or at a low price), but there's one small catch - you have to sit through a 30-second advertisement before you get your beverage. The machines will be posted in areas that would "best suit the customers targeted by the advertisers," but then, what else would you expect?

Source: The Food Section

Hot Rice, Just Add... Cold Water?

YumSugar — Mon, 07 May 2007 06:58:31 -0700

Oh how I love science. Or should I make that, oh how I love Japan. How about, oh how I love Japanese scientists... An environmental consulting firm based out of Tsukaba, Japan has come up with an amazing new product called "Hotto! Raisu." The product, which amazingly turns cold water into hot rice, is a non-perishable food pack that could be put to good use during a natural disaster.

So how'd they do it?

By subjecting rice to 4,000 times normal atmospheric pressure, the developers were able to preserve rice for long periods in a soft form that holds moisture. When water is poured over an exothermic agent in the pack, steam warms the rice contained within, and after about 15 minutes, the dish is piping hot.

Right now the product is decently priced, (10,000 yen for 30 packs, or approximately $85 for 30), but I don't know if that's cheap enough to be ideal for natural disaster zones. Either way it's still absolutely awesome.

Source: Mainichi News via Boing Boing

Yummy Link: Yebisu Beer Jelly

YumSugar — Fri, 04 May 2007 14:01:54 -0700

If you've ever been to a typical American college party, then you've probably had a Jello shot or two (or ten). Well the folks at Yebisu (a great Japanese beer) have created a beer based version. I wonder if it contains any alcohol or is just beer flavored... - Liquor Snob

Diamonds Are a Cake's Best Friend

YumSugar — Tue, 19 Dec 2006 00:12:36 -0800

Not to be outdone by all of our American holiday extravagances, the Takashimaya Department Store (in Central Tokyo) has unveiled a diamond-studded chocolate Christmas cake! The cake, worth approximately 850,000 dollars, is less expensive than last year's (a marzipan-coated fruitcake coated with a total of 223 diamonds) 1.7 million dollar creation, but looks even more tasty.

The 35 centimeter (14 inch) high cake with a square chocolate base is iced with some 100 diamonds totaling about 50 carats.

"The patisserie who made it said he felt that chocolate and diamonds are what a woman most wants to receive," said [spokeswoman Kiyome] Nagai.

The cake will remain on display until Dec. 25 even if it is sold.

Although I'm not sure who would want to eat it after the 25th. After all I'm sure it will be more than a little stale by then.

Note: The pink cake is last year's cake. The chocolate one is this year's.

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