Though we taste many fine and elegant foods in the Test Kitchen, we still have a soft spot for candy. Some of our favourite sweets are the intensely flavoured, oddly named and colourfully packaged candies from Japan. These are commonly available in Asian markets (nearby, we have a great selection at a Korean grocery store). Though most labels are written in Japanese, just look at the fine print stickers on the back for the English translation.
Hi-Chew Fruit Candy (Morinaga)
Our No. 1 favourite Japanese sweets are Hi-Chews, an aromatic soft, taffy-like candy with intense sweet-tart, long-lasting fruity flavour. The flat, rectangular package contains 12 foil-wrapped candies (resembling bubble gum) and the flavour is identified by a picture on the label (such as green apple, grape, mango, passion fruit and strawberry). We all have are favourites, so try a selection (especially citrus and tropical fruits).
Pocky (Glico)
Pocky is the king of Japanese snacks. These chocolate-covered cookie (or pretzel) sticks are available in a multitude of flavours. We like Black Bitter Marble (dark chocolate with small lines of white chocolate), almond and classic strawberry. Several types of savoury sticks ensure that whatever your mood, there is a Pocky to satisfy.
Milk Coffee Stick Candy (Tokuno)
Ten hard little toffees (that taste just like canned Japanese milky coffee) are neatly arranged in a sleek brown sleeve that slides in and out like a tiny drawer.
Puré Gummy (Shirakiku)
These sour sugar-coated gummy disks with powerful grape or lemon flavour come in resealable, triangular packages that keep them soft and chewy.
Check out Homemakers magazine's top 10 international cookbooks!
Comment reported
Thank you for reporting this comment as inappropriate.
Back to Comments »