I'm not sure if the name of this snack, which is literally "super sweet corn" in katakana (スーパースイートコーン)" and not a Japanese translation of the English words, is meant to imply that the corn is super sweet tasting or if the corn is able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. I'm guessing it's because the corn they use is the lollipop of the corn world.
At any rate, I can't resist something which is actually corn-flavored, as opposed to corn-based. Corn flavored snacks in Japan tend to be buttery, nicely salty, and feature the best flavor that corn as a food has to offer.
These corn snacks have the added bonus of being baked. If you're health conscious in Japan and looking for snacks, you can seek the characters for "non fry" (ノンフライ) written on the package. Of course, if you are really health conscious, you won't be buying this sort of stuff anyway. It's not that this is all that bad really. This bag has 50 grams (1.7 oz.) of corn goodness and only 230 calories. It's also got bits or real corn flattened out and pressed into the chips, so you may actually get some sort of infinitessimal benefit from the embedded corn. It's just that snacking and health rarely go hand in hand.
Because these chips are baked, they are lighter than your average chip. They are crispy, but have a softer snap than a deep-fried chip. Even though they look a bit puffy in spots, they're relatively thin. The spots with actual corn in them are a bit tough and chewy, but it in no way undermines the overall texture and eating experience.
These smell like fresh corn on the cob. They taste like corn cream soup with a bit of added chicken extract for added savoriness. You can really detect that they are made from fairly sweet corn. The salt on them is just right, though rather inconsistent at times.
If you enjoy corn potage soup in Japan, you will almost certain like these as much as I did, which is to say quite a lot. They're seasonal though, so you'd better grab some while you can. I know I wouldn't hesitate to have them again.
4 comments:
We just returned from a trip to Japan and found these delicious Tohato brand corn snacks/puffs. It is in a red bag with a "cartoon" white corn on the cob standing in the center holding the puff. The puffs themselves are yellow and look like small sections of corn on the cob. They taste like real buttered, salted sweet corn. I wanted to bring back 20 bags; but only could locate 2. Does anyone know of an online website that sell these snacks? I'm hoarding the last 2 bags. I've checked the Tohato U.S. website with no luck.
We just returned from a trip to Japan and had a Tohato brand "corn on the cob" snack/chip. I've been searching the internet for these snacks. They are in a red bag with a white cob of corn standing in the center. The "chips" themselves look like small little sections of corn on the cob. They taste like lightly buttered and salted sweet corn. I was ready to buy 20 bags to bring back; but only could find 2. Anyone have an idea where I can find these online?
Hi, LMZ, and thank you for reading and taking the time to comment. It sounds like you're talking about the Tohato Tsubutsubu Corn Snack here:
http://tohato.jp/products/tsubutsubu/product.html
Unfortunately, I haven't sampled these yet, but they sound interesting.
Perhaps one of my readers who buys items from importers may know some place where you can get them online and will speak up. Good luck!
I also have been looking for these. I lived in okinawa for 3 years and Iwakuni japan for a year and a half. This is one of the many treats i miss from my stay.
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