The Japanese Candy and Snacks Store

[destiny4ever]

I admit I have a sweet tooth, so of course I have a soft spot for things like candy. Do you have a sweet tooth as well? Then you have come to the right thread.

This is a thread to share and discuss about Japanese snacks and candies.

Here’s my first contribution to this thread :

Kompeito ~ Five Color Traditional Japanese Candy

From JBOX:

“Another great taste from Japan that's been around for more than a century, this is Kasugai kompeito (also written konpeito) candy, a kind of hard candy that looks like stars, exploding out in all directions.

Click me

This is a tasty package of an authentic sweet candy from Japan's past, with a ziplock seal for freshness. Each package is 6" x 8" (15 x 21 cm). As seen in the Ghibli film Spirited Away, by Hayao Miyazaki (this is what Kamaji feeds to the little soot sprites). Great for fans of Japanse "dagashi" treats”


From Wiki:

Kompeito, also spelled as konpeito (Japanese: 金平糖, 金米糖, or 金餅糖 in Kanji, or こんぺいとう, コンペイトー in kana, konpeitō) is a Japanese candy originally made in Portugal.

History

The word "konpeito" comes from the Portuguese word confeito, which means a sugar candy. It was introduced to Japan somewhere around the 16th century by Portuguese traders. The infrastructure and refining technology of sugar had not yet been established in Japan in those days. As konpeito uses a lot of sugar, it was very rare and expensive as a result. In 1569, Luís Fróis, a Portuguese missionary, presented a flask of konpeito to Oda Nobunaga in order to obtain the permit for mission work of Christianity.

In Meiji period, konpeito had already been culturally-prescribed as one of the standards of Japanese sweets - the character Sugar Plum Fairy in the Nutcracker was translated into konpeito no sei (Japanese: 金平糖の精, Fairy of konpeito). Konpeito is also the standard of the thank-you-for-coming gift which is given by the Imperial House of Japan. The gift is not called konpeito but pomponiere (Japanese: ポンポニエール, pomponieru) including the top case.

Production
Konpeito is usually 5 to 10 mm (0.20 to 0.39 in) in diameter. Each piece is covered with tiny bulges, which occur in the cooking process. It usually takes 7-10 days to make konpeito and they are handmade even today. Konpeito is made by showering sugar water in a giant spinning tub called dora. This forming process is a topic in molecular engineering, as these bulges would not form if the tub spun faster.

[Asarii]

Japan is known for adapting popular Western food franchise by adding their own 和風 (wafuu) taste to it. Think of McDonald's Teriyaki burger.

They've also added A LOT of new flavors to the regular ol' Kit Kat bars. I had a kinako flavor once; it was surprisingly good considering kinako is soybean flour. Here are all the flavors Kit Kat bars offer. More than half the list is dominated by Japan who has a lot of wacky flavors such as wasabi.

Next time you go to Japan and have a longing to eat candy bars from home, try a Kit Kat bar.

[Asarii]

My mom bought Koala's March (コアラのマーチ) today. I like how the chocolate centre isn't too sweet so I can take a handful without feeling guilty. The little Koalas are adorable too. Here are all the images produced so far.

[Teeba]

I have recently become obsessed with Youtube videos on Japanese candy, both real and fake. While I love traditional candy, I am more intrigued by contemporary candy, like candy sushi and amazing candy goo. The lengths companies will go to make inventive candy for kids is kind of unbelievable. If this was in the U.K. everyone would be too focused on health and nutrition to give these things a chance. xD At the same time...I would love to see a chemist look at these DIY candy kits and describe exactly how they make such amazing substances.

Here is one such candy kit:

[Asarii]

Thank you for the video! I'm a lazy person so the lunch box seems like a lot of work, but I'm sure it's really fun to make. :P I wonder how the power/water mix gelatinized since there was no need to put it in the fridge.

If this was in the U.K. everyone would be too focused on health and nutrition to give these things a chance. xD

For the amount of traditional and contemporary sweets available in Japan, it's quite surprising that obesity isn't an issue. I'm sure half the Japanese candies would be restricted anywhere else.

[Teeba]

Thank you for the video! I'm a lazy person so the lunch box seems like a lot of work, but I'm sure it's really fun to make. :P I wonder how the power/water mix gelatinized since there was no need to put it in the fridge.

For the amount of traditional and contemporary sweets available in Japan, it's quite surprising that obesity isn't an issue. I'm sure half the Japanese candies would be restricted anywhere else.

This is why the content of the candy is so mysterious to me. Is it just powderized agar-agar? Do they just make them with less calories than their Western counterparts? It kind of blows your mind. They are smaller than they look, though.

Yeah, a lot of these candies just so too intense to make. There's a hamburger and fries one, where the whole thing is savory and you put the mixtures into the microwave. Then there's a candy cupcakes one, where you not only put them in the microwave to cook them, it comes with frosting in a tiny bag for you to decorate them!

And then....on the flip side, there are fake food kits. You go through all of the above, but its not edible. Like this:

[jamesem92]

Kompeito ~ Five Color Traditional Japanese Candy

From JBOX:

“Another great taste from Japan that's been around for more than a century, this is Kasugai kompeito (also written konpeito) candy, a kind of hard candy that looks like stars, exploding out in all directions.

Oh wow, I love JBOX, the shipping is bit steep, but it is coming straight from Japan after all, and the fact that the food is pretty cheap makes up for it.

Since you've posted about Kompeito, I'm assuming you really like it?
As when my girlfriend and I ate it, we found it to just taste like sugar cubes, without tasting of orange/lemon etc...
Do you think we just got a bad packet?
If we did, we might give them another go in the future.

Anyway, I recommend Morinaga Milk Caramel Set !

Picture of the packaging:

[IMG]http://www.mytenda.com/tenda/images/caramelcandy.jpg[/IMG

http://www.jbox.com/product/BA7253

They are the caramels mentioned at the start of "My Neighbour Totoro", so another Ghibli themed candy.

They are a soft(ish) toffee, and are really tasty!

[Crude]

I would love to try Kompeito, and even though it has a Portuguese origin, I've yet to actually find some. My dad says that he used to eat it when he was a kid but he doesn't know what it's called in Portuguese. Another thing I would love to try is Dorayaki. For those of you who've ever watched Doraemon, it's the titular cat's favourite snack. And for that matter I'd like to try Taiyaki as well, which like Dorayaki is filled with sweet red bean paste.

[Asarii]

I would love to try Kompeito, and even though it has a Portuguese origin, I've yet to actually find some. My dad says that he used to eat it when he was a kid but he doesn't know what it's called in Portuguese.

What a coincidence, I just finished the last jar of kompeito a few days ago. 8D I love its shape and how colourful it is.

There isn't really a taste to kompeito; it's just really sugary. You can even use it like a sugar cube by dunking it in hot tea- or at least that's my unorthodox way of using it.

Another thing I would love to try is Dorayaki. For those of you who've ever watched Doraemon, it's the titular cat's favourite snack. And for that matter I'd like to try Taiyaki as well, which like Dorayaki is filled with sweet red bean paste.

If you go to a Japanese cultural festival, I'm 99% sure there will be a Dorayaki or a Taiyaki stand somewhere. Here are some recipes if you're interested:

Dorayaki
Green Tea/Matcha Dorayaki
Taiyaki