SNACK FOOD: PEKO POKO CHOCOLATE POP

I am probably not the best person to discuss Japanese food, as I am the least Japanese person you will find. I enjoy many kinds of food, my favourite being Thai food, but I had never really experienced the world of japanese snack food until now.

To be completely honest, it was really hard to actually find Japanese snack food in Australia. But I didn't give up, because it seemed silly to discuss a food without actually eating and experiencing it!

So first up on my list was these cute little things:

Inside the packet - super cute!

These are called "Peko Poko Chocolate Pop" and they are made by a company called "Fujiya". They were too cute to resist plus it was only $1.10 Not only are they lollipops, but they are made out of chocolate. They smelt quite strange though. Much sweeter than chocolate should smell. It's kinda like the chocolate money smell, but it was still very tantalising. There are also 2 in a packet meaning more for me…or sharing with a friend.

My favourite part about these were the surprise flavour of the pink chocolate. It was strawberry flavoured and I loved it. The white chocolate was obviously white chocolate flavour, but it was still a good combo of flavours. The whole thing was super sweet and wasn't the same sort of 'traditional' chocolate flavour you would find in Australia. It tasted much more like a lolly than a chocolate. The texture was the same as normal chocolate, yet less creamy. 

Outside the packet - still super cute!

Overall I really enjoyed this snack. It looked adorable, there was plenty to go around, they tasted pretty great, though very sweet, and they were pretty cheap too! I do recommend these for those who like chocolate, have a super sweet tooth and love cuteness. I'm gonna give it a 4.5/5. The only reason it lost half a mark was due to the fact that it wasn't super satisfying in terms of hunger. You could not just eat this as a snack by itself. You would have to pair it with some chips or biscuits, or something a bit more substantial. 

I bought this from an Asian grocery store in Castle Hill, NSW called Madam Hoo's in the Castle Towers Shopping Centre. This place did not stock a whole heap of Japanese Snacks, but had the most out of all the places I went. Thats all for now on these cute-pops!

SAM.

Japanese Desserts - Dango

So....what would be the first thing that comes to mind when it comes to Japanese Desserts?

To be honest....I don't really have anything in mind when it comes to Japanese desserts....really, it's like my mind completely blank...

I think it's because I've never really ordered anything from the dessert menu whenever I go to a Japanese restaurant.

Also, I think I'm more of a 'savoury' kind of guy than the 'sweet-tooth' kind...

You might be thinking....so what gives? Why am I talking (or going to be) about desserts if I'm not much of a dessert guy?

Well, here is one dessert I'd like to post about;

The post today, I'd like to start with (as the title says) Dango - basically dumplings made from rice flour, it is related to mochi (which is Japanese rice cake made from glutinous rice) and often served with green tea.

They're usually served on a skewer, like....

There are different varieties of Dango- since it's served all year round, dango varies in its name, shape, seasonings and are served in different seasons

Here are the different types: 


Bocchan Dango: Dango that has three colors. One is colored by red beans, the second by eggs, and the third by green tea.

(Bocchan Dango)

Chadango: Green-tea flavoured Dango.

(Chadango)

 Chichi Dango: Slightly-sweet light treats usually eaten as a dessert.

Denpun Dango: Variety of dango from Hokkaido made from potato flour and baked with sweet boiled beans.

Goma Dango: Dango with sesame seeds. Can be both sweet and salty.

Hanami Dango: Also has three colors, Hanami dango is traditionally made during Sakura-viewing season. Hence the name Hanami (Hanami means "flower viewing"; hana meaning "flower", and mi meaning "to see"). Now I don't have a picture of this...since it's practically the same as the Bocchan Dango





Kibi Dango: Dango made with millet flour.

 (Kibi Dango)

 
Kuri Dango: Dango coated in chestnut paste.

 

(Kuri Dango)

Mitarashi Dango: Covered with a syrup made from shouyu (soy sauce), sugar and starch.

(Mitarashi Dango)

Sasa Dango: Dango that is produced and eaten primarily in Niigata Prefecture. Sasa dango has two varieties: "Onna Dango" and "Otoko Dango." Onna Dango (literally "Female Dango") is filled with anko, while the otoko dango (literally "Male Dango") is filled with kinpira. The dango is wrapped in leaves of sasa for the purpose of preservation.

(Sasa Dango/Sasadango)

So after you've had a read of the stuff I posted here....I think I haven't really answered the question I had at the top of this post. Besides the fact that this is part of an assignment, I think when it comes to food (regardless of sweet or savoury) it's like every guy's best friend...if anything, it'd be "The way to a man's heart is his stomach" if you've heard of the saying before. 


So yes! even though I have said that I'm not much of a dessert guy, I'm still a guy..and a guy loves his food ;D


And to this post, here you have it, the dango.


That's all folks, stay tuned for more later ;D