Japan is famous for cuisine that, when compared to the food of many other nations, sometimes seems unusual. Many westerners are quite happy to eat sushi, but far fewer people would be as willing to try a few popular Japanese sweets and candies.
It seems strange that people would sooner eat raw fish than a sweet treat, but those treats do contain some unusual ingredients or flavours. If you can get your hands on them, the following unusual Japanese sweets and candies are sure to impress the adventurous eaters among your friends and family.
Tomato Chocolate
Rather than being a particularly nasty Halloween trick for unsuspecting children, tomato chocolate is a product of the Delicious Eagle Confection Company. It apparently is a marriage of white chocolate and the sweet, sour taste of tomato. If online reviews are to be believed, serving this would be more for the novelty factor than for the flavour.
KitKat
KitKat, Nestle’s popular chocolate-covered wafer bars are available in a small selection of flavours in many countries. In Japan, however, they are available in a variety of unusual taste sensations.
You can find relatively ‘safe’ ones, such as strawberry or matcha tea KitKat, and then you can find others that may pose an interesting challenge to western palates. Among them are cherry blossom, pumpkin, soybean, and baked potato KitKat.
Roasted Baby Crabs
For some people who play Australian bingo games, their idea of seafood is another shrimp thrown on the barbie. A sweet Japanese snack that might change their mind is a big bag of roasted baby crabs.
At first glance, it could be a bag of crisps. On closer inspection, you will see a mass of baby crabs who, with soft shells, were baked before being sipped in sake and coated with a sweet sesame glaze. Reviewers say the snack is crunchy and sweet, but with more than a hint of brine.
Moko Moko Toilet Candy
Arguably one of the most bizarre of all Japanese sweets, Moko Moko Toilet Candy has delighted and appalled eaters for years. Firstly, you will need to assemble the plastic toilet included in the pack. It also comes with two different flavour sachets.
When you have assembled the loo, you can pour the contents of one of the flavour sachets into the little plastic cistern. You also will need to add some water, and then you need to wait. After a few moments, what looks like a chemical cleaning product fills the bowl, and you can then use the straw to taste the results of your endeavour. The Toilet Candy needs to be seen to be believed.
Takoyaki Drops
Almost everyone has heard of, if not eaten, mint or lemon drops candies, but unless you live in Japan, Takoyaki Drops are another matter. The candies taste just like Takoyaki.
The unusual thing about using that as a candy flavour is that Takoyaki is a seafood dish. Essentially, the sweets taste like fried battered octopus with green onion and Japanese mayonnaise.