Meiji unveils its newest crowdsourced flavor inspired by a delicacy of northeastern Japan.
One of my greatest joys while teaching is informing my American students that I love sweetened, mashed edamame paste. The looks on their faces are priceless as they try to wrap their minds around soybeans as anything other than a savory appetizer or snack. Yet that’s exactly how the vast majority of residents of the northeastern Tohoku region of Japan feel about zunda, the name for this delectable green sweet. It’s an extremely versatile confectionery that’s often used as a topping for mochi but also has countless other uses, which are well represented if you take a stroll around the food shops inside Sendai Station.
▼ Zunda-based foods galore at one store
▼ Zunda shakes are a common sight
▼ Even zunda-filled melon bread makes an appearance
If you’re still skeptical, remember that souvenir that Gojo-sensei buys in the very first episode of Jujutsu Kaisen? That’s a form of zunda paired with fresh cream called kikufuku-mochi. Trust Gojo’s taste, if no one else’s.
In any case, we caught wind of a recently released zunda-flavored sweet treat with Meiji’s popular line of Super Cup ice creams, so we absolutely had to try it for ourselves. The new product is currently being sold at supermarkets and convenience stores across Japan for a limited time, and we happened to buy ours at our local Family Mart for 184 yen (US$1.28).
It’s not the first time that zunda has appeared in ice cream form, but we were excited for this particular combination because of our love for the taste and size of Meiji Super Cups in general. By the way, shoppers should be careful to grab the right green-colored item from the freezer or else they might end up with a matcha-flavored ice cream by mistake!
The zunda flavor actually came about as part of the Super Cup’s 30th anniversary celebration when the company crowdsourced ideas for new flavors from customers. It turned out that green soybeans held the winning ticket among all submissions.
A little note on the top of the packaging also highlights that the ice cream incorporates the same course texture of edamame beans in zunda.
Opening the lid, the ice cream was almost white in color–definitely not the shock of vivid green that we were expecting. In fact, if we hadn’t been the ones to purchase it, it would be nearly impossible to tell that it was zunda-flavored.
Taking a bite, the flavor–and smell–of the ice cream was truly that of edamame…and it was delicious! Its aftertaste was also mysteriously creamy.
Some readers might still be wondering how the words “edamame,” “creamy,” and “ice cream” could possibly go together. Take our word for it–the more we ate, the more it became apparent that the ice cream’s milky taste enhanced the relatively strong flavor of the edamame, but it wasn’t weird at all. The little bumpy bits of edamame were also fun to chew on.
We can confidently say that we love this new Super Cup and will absolutely buy it again.
If you also try the new flavor and develop your own love for zunda, the next time you’re in Tohoku, be on the lookout for more zunda-flavored treats such as soft-serve ice cream or Kit Kats as a fun regional souvenir.
▼ Zunda soft-serve found at a restaurant in Matsushima, Miyagi Prefecture
Trust us and the people of northeastern Japan–you won’t regret it.
Reference: Meiji
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