Is this newly released sweet konnyaku, jelly or pudding? We try to sort out the custardy chaos

We unravel the true nature of the mysterious new flavor of Konnyaku Batake jelly that has our brains and our tongues in a twist.

Japanese company MannanLife sells a line of fruit-flavored konnyaku jelly called Konnyaku Batake in Japan. Konnyaku, also known as konjac or devil’s tongue in English, is a popular plant-based substitution for gelatin in many foods. Meanwhile, Japanese-style pudding, known as purin in Japanese, is a custard pudding usually served with a drizzle of caramel sauce. Those two things don’t seem to mix very well, so that’s why our Japanese-language reporter Daiki Nishimoto was a bit dumbfounded when he caught wind of the new purin-flavored konnyaku jelly that went on sale on November 1.

Daiki’s first reaction to this new product was how strange it was seeing “konnyaku,” “jelly,” and “pudding” all on the same label. This kind of weird combination was practically begging to have a SoraNews24 article written about it. Not wanting to disappoint, Daiki decided to do exactly that while documenting his taste test.

▼ MannanLife’s new purin-flavored konnyaku jelly contains 12 individual packs in one bag.

 

Would it be konnyaku, jelly, or pudding at its core? There was only one way to find out.

Daiki took out one packet from the bag and inspected everything about it carefully. The vivid yellow color certainly gave more of an impression of orange jelly than purin, which only deepened his curiosity.

As soon as he opened the seal, however, the strong aroma of caramel met his nostrils. This part was definitely on par with purin. Oddly though, there was no caramel to be seen, despite the scent being even stronger than with an actual purin.

With such a strong smell, Daiki figured that the taste would also be quite strong. He lifted the first morsel to his lips and instantly noted the typical rubber-like texture of konnyaku.

Soon after, a subdued sweetness also flooded his mouth. He dubbed the flavor a “transparent richness” that reminded him mostly of jelly with a balanced purin flavor. It wasn’t too heavy nor too sticky, but refreshing in its own unique way.

If Daiki had to summarize, the new Konnyaku Batake purin-flavored jelly had the consistency of konnyaku, the lightness of jelly, and the taste of purin. It wasn’t just one of those things but had balanced elements of each. He took a moment to marvel at the fact that this kind of food product had even come into existence.

Konnyaku Batake’s purin-flavored jelly will only be on sale for a limited time, so any curious readers will want to snap it up sooner rather than later.

For some other unlikely gastronomic bedfellows, take a peek at this Tempura Soba Burger as well.

Reference: MannanLife
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