Garlic flavored cola. Just let that sink in for a moment. Fizzy sweet cola with a pungent garlic taste. Yum? Over the years, we’ve seen a lot of weird food and drink come out of Japan, and as of January 9, there has been a new addition to that list.
Hailing from Aomori, the garlic capital of Japan, which has previously produced such delectables as garlic ice cream and garlic beer, “Jats Takkola,” is brought to us from the garlic center of the garlic capital of Japan, also known as “Garlic Town,” Sannohe Districts’ Takko Town.
The town got its charming nickname from the fact that every July, so much garlic is harvested that the entire town, home to almost 6,000 people, smells of the pungent bulb. We have a feeling they don’t suffer from vampire attacks very often.
The town offers pretty much any form of garlic you could ever imagine, but the creation of the Takkola (get it? Takko + cola = takkola), took some trial and error experimentation. The real issue, apparently, was breaking through the stereotype that garlic should be used exclusively for food.
▼ Don’t you just want to plop a bulb of garlic in your next cup of Coke?
The drink is just cola mixed with some finely ground garlic, pretty simple. It’s just as bubbly and tasty as normal cola, but you get the pleasant aftertaste of garlic. Who wouldn’t love that?! Really, if you think about it, it’s probably not much different than washing down some garlicky gyoza with cola and then burping. You just don’t have to eat the gyoza first.
Since the name of the drink doesn’t mention garlic at all, this could easily be used to play some tricks on unassuming friends who don’t know that Takko is the garlic center of Japan. Then there is also the fact that “Jats!” is local dialect for what you say when you are surprised, an odd feature for the name of a cola. That is, unless the creators of this drink had some tomfoolery in mind when they made it!
▼ The garlic clove on the label could go unnoticed to the unobservant.
In reality, they chose the name because they want this item to leave a lasting impression and to “stimulate the heart” of whoever sips it. They advise that before you drink, turn it slowly to remix the garlic, open the cap carefully and then take a sip. According to the creators, there is no way that you won’t shout in surprise after tasting it.
So, if you’re itching to play tricks on friends, are just really scared of vampires, or are looking for a health-boosting cola, you can order a case of 24 bottles from the town’s merchandise website, for 7,200 yen (US$60) or if you’re in the area, head to the store itself where you can get single bottles for 299 yen (US$2.50) each, until the end of February. Also, please, if you do use it to play tricks on your friends, sneak a video and share it with us!
Source: NetLab, Takko Garlic Center
Images: Takko Garlic Center, WikiMedia Commons (David Monniaux)