6 Japanese Flavors to Enjoy Amid the Postponed Olympics
While life is full of postponements this year, consumers are mustering up creative ways to enjoy what they are missing. Avoiding a 13-hour flight to Tokyo can be a blessing, especially if replacing those hours with time in the kitchen. Adding unique Japanese flavors into new recipes will make the consumer feel as though the Cherry Blossoms are blooming.
Yuku
A fruit that few may have enjoyed before is showing up on menus more often in the last few years. Japan is one of the largest growers of Yuzu, demanding patience since it can take as much as ten years to bear fruit. Once it is ripe, the lemon-like citrus fruit has a pleasant aroma, and it has a super sour flavor with a tart zest and juice. Google searches are increasing rapidly for the fruit, implying consumers are interested in learning more about it. Chefs use Yuzu to accompany fish, but they are creating desserts such as meringue tarts with Yuzu, and Yuzu flavored ice-cream is showing up in the grocery aisles.
Goma
What is more Japanese than Goma, the Japanese word for sesame? While not indigenous to Japan, they are the largest consumers of sesame in the world, and for a good reason. The nutty flavor adds a punch to sauces, snacks, and desserts, and people use it often as a dipping sauce.
Wasabi
Real wasabi powers a punch, but it is not easy to find outside of Japan. Consumers are quick to purchase wasabi rice crackers or other snacks, incorporating the taste of wasabi. Restaurants will substitute real wasabi with r a combination of horseradish and mustard along with other ingredients.
True to Fruit Beverages
A hot trend with consumers is true-to-fruit beverages, of which citrus and berry flavors are at the top of the list for non-alcoholic drinks. Peaches, plums, and tangerine flavors play well with those loving the fruits that are popular in Japan. Melon soda is another drink wildly popular in Tokyo that consumers enjoy here.
Matcha
Consumed for thousands of years and heralded today for countless health benefits, the powdered green tea has a full-bodied leafy flavor that varies from sweet to bitter. The best way for consumers to enjoy it will be in an at-home traditional Japanese tea ceremony. If consumers aren’t quite so formal, they enjoy matcha infused into lattés, cakes, and chocolate.
Japanese Food in the United States
Japanese food is one of the most popular choices for American consumers. Whether people enjoy them at restaurants or find the ingredients in the grocery aisle for home cooking, Japanese influenced food and beverages are here to stay, especially if few are flying west to Japan during these times.