Rice-flavor popsicles from Garigari-kun are Japan’s newest head-scratching sweet treats

Will rice be nice as ice?

Garigari-kun is Japan’s favorite popsicle brand, and its most popular flavor is called “soda.” In the Japanese sweets world, though, “soda” usually doesn’t refer to a cola flavor, but to a light citrusy taste that’s less sour than lemonade, not as sweet as apple cider, and more refreshing than either.

It’s a uniquely Japanese flavor, and so it’s a great fit for Garigari-kun. This month, though, Garigari-kun is coming out with something even more Japanese: rice-flavor popsicles.

▼ The Garigari-kun dresses up as a farmer and heads out to harvest on the rice popsicles’ labels.

Officially, these are called Adult Garigari-kun Rice Soda (Otona na Garigari-kun Okome no Soda in Japanese), with “adult” being a popular way to pitch non-cloying desserts to grownups in Japan. Maker Akagi Nyugyo promises that the unusual popsicle will combine a mellow and mild rice flavor with refreshing soda notes, with two percent of the rice used in the ingredients being Japanese-grown.

That said, it’s still a little hard to imagine what rice-flavored ice is going to taste like, especially since Garigari-kun is especially moist, even compared to other popsicles. It’s really more like a core of shaved ice housed in a thin popsicle casing, which makes the snack incredibly thirst-quenching and an easy partner for flavors based on juicy fruits. How all that icy moisture will work with flavor of rice, a food that’s comparatively dry, will be interesting to see.

But hey, a while back Mos Burger was able to make a delicious sake-inspired milk shake which still had some rice-like elements to its flavor profile, so maybe Garigari-kun’s rice-flavor popsicles will taste great too. We look forward to finding out after it hits stores on April 11 for 119 yen (US$0.91).

Source: PR Times via Japaaan
Images: PR Times
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