The last time I had one of Tirol's premium chocolate blocks with a map of Hokkaido on it, I was very disappointed in the results. Nonetheless, my adventurous side, and the fact that I like daifuku got the better of me and I picked up this 1" square (2.54 cm.) chocolate at Family Mart for 32 yen (35 cents).
Daifuku, for those who don't want to run off to Wikipedia, is a traditional Japanese confection made with soft, pounded rice filled with something sweet. The filling is usually beans, but it can be other things as well. Previously, I had a positive experience with yukimi daifuku ice milk. The mochi part is soft, a little stretchy and chewy with little flavor of its own. It's mainly for the interesting textural experience.
This candy is like an inside-out daifuku confection. The sweetness is on the outside and the mochi is in the center. When I sniffed this, I immediately thought of white chocolate Easter rabbits from my childhood and the chocolate itself is a nice blend of white chocolate and a little bit of a milk chocolate base. The milk chocolate base has just a whisper of the trademark Japanese bittersweet chocolate flavor. I don't know if it was the combination of these two chocolates or something particular ingredient, but this was some of the nicest white chocolate I've had in a long time. It seemed to have a flavor other than simply "very sweet", but I can't pin down what the flavor is.
The center is a little chewy blob of gummy-like substance which actually tasted and had the texture of mochi. In my past experiences with "mochi" filling from Tirol, the interior was too thick and mainly added texture. This time, it seemed to have verisimilitude to the real deal.
I really enjoyed this, though I don't think it's the sort of thing you'd be wolfing down several of at once because it's still on the sweet side. At 58 calories for a one-serving square though, it's a very fine little treat and I'd definitely recommend sampling it even if you aren't a particular fan of daifuku.
Interesting candy! I've never had daifuku before, but I have had mochi and sasamaki (really local from shonai) Anyway, it's kinda good that I won't be scarfing a bunch down at a time. (which I do with most sweets. Guilty. lol) Most mochi-type sweets in Japan make me pretty 'full' after just one serving of whatever it is. :^)
ReplyDelete-Jessica (Yonezawa city)
I think you might enjoy this, but it is difficult to predict tastes. I'd be very curious if other Americans who sample this think it smells like white chocolate Easter rabbits!
ReplyDeleteThat looks and sounds really yummy. I love daifuku and Tirol!<3 There aren't any premium Tirols, or Tirols that sell individually where I live though.
ReplyDeleteOh, by the way, not to be nit-picky or anything, but I think you got your first link wrong. The one that says "The last time" I had one of Tirol's premium......
Hi, and thanks for commenting and letting me know about the link! I'll fix that! :-)
ReplyDelete