Traditional Japanese Snacks And Their Doppelgangers!

Japanese candy and snacks are known for their wild wacky flavors, such as Wasabi kit kats, chocolate-covered shrimp chips, and Curry Ramune! Despite all these crazy, wacky flavors, they still make these snacks taste good! How?! For May's Japan Crate we included some snack doppelganger. These candies look and taste almost like the foods they were modeled after! Here are the snack by snack comparisons:

Puku Puku TaiChoco vs. Taiyaki

Taiyaki is a traditional fish-shaped snack with red bean filling, usually served warm in cold weather. Nowadays, Taiyaki comes in different fillings, including chocolate, cream, nutella, and more! There are usually Taiyaki stands on the street next to train stations in Japan! Taiyaki became all the rage when “Oyoge! Taiyaki-kun” (“Swim! Taiyaki”) emerged as an extremely popular children’s song in 1976. Pukupuku Taichoco is the doppelganger of the Taiyaki desert, but made of wafer with chocolate goodness in the middle. If you've tried both Taiyaki and Taichoco, which one did you like better? Let us know in the comments!  

Mochitto Kinako Mochi vs. Kinako Mochi

 
Kinako, which is Toasted Soybean Flour, is a powder made from roasted soybeans that have been ground up. The name "kinako" means "yellow flour" in Japanese, and used as a common Japanese dessert topper. It is very tasty, smooth and nutty, almost like dried peanut butter. Kinako Mochi is traditionally enjoyed in New Years, and there's also a softer, gooey-er version of Kinako Mochi, called Warabi Mochi. Mochitto Kinako Mochi, which was the snack included in this month's crate, actually tastes pretty much like the real thing! It's similar in texture and taste, however it's made with different ingredients to last longer as a candy. Real Kinako Mochi is actually quite perishable since it is made from fresh pounded rice.

French Salad Potato Chips vs. French Niçoise salad

Although these potato chips don't LOOK like salad, they definitely taste like salad! If you've been a Japan Crate subscriber for a while, you probably have tasted a bunch of different potato chips from Japan, including shrimp, roasted corn, and sweet snow! These "French Salad" flavored potato chips perfectly mimic the French Nicoise salad in vinegary taste! Traditionally made with local olives, oil-cured tuna, and anchovies, this protein-rich salad from Provence has become a staple all over France. Now it can be enjoyed in potato chip form! Comment below of tag us @JapanCrate on twitter/instagram/facebook and let us know how you've liked these Japanese snacks and if you've tried their counterparts!