Salutes to local specialties of Hokkaido, Nagoya, and more now available across Japan.
A lot of the “Japan!” part of McDonald’s Japan’s recent offerings has come from tie-ups with popular Japanese pop culture franchises. And while we’re as happy as anyone about the Chiikawa Happy Meal toys, Gundam-themed sandwiches, and Hello Kitty-themed dessert drinks, the newest arrivals on the menu take inspiration from Japan for their actual flavors too.
The new Gotochi Mac, or “Regional McDonald’s” offerings, start off with a nod to the country’s northernmost prefecture in the form of the Hokkaido Jaga Cheese Teriyaki. With Hokkaido being home to Japan’s largest share of dairies and swaths of potato farmland, this is an enhanced version of McDonald’s Japan’s teriyaki pork patty burger, with a special filling of chunky Hokkaido potatoes and cheese, plus another slice of white cheddar for good measure.
Next comes the Tebasaki-style Black Pepper Juicy Chicken, a salute to one of Japan’s most criminally underrated local delicacies: Nagoya-style tebasaki (chicken wings). Treated with a sweet glaze with a touch of spice and plenty of pepper, this chicken cutlet sandwich lets you enjoy a taste of Nagoya without getting your fingers all sticky.
Then there’s the Hakata Mentaiko Butter Teriyaki, a teriyaki pork burger with cheese and mentaiko, spicy cod roe. A specialty of Fukuoka Prefecture, mentaiko ordinarily has a soft but gritty texture, but for this sandwich it’s mixed into buttery mayo for a creamier consistency.
And for early-risers, the Hokkaido Jaga Cheese Teriyaki also has a McMuffin variant.
Finally, rounding out the Gotochi Mac lineup is a new flavor for McDonald’s Japan’s Shaka Shaka French Fry series, in which you get a seasoning packet to pour onto your fries and shake up in the bag. The newest member of the Shaka Shaka family is Black Curry, the local-favorite type of curry in the city of Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture. Aside from its darker color (which is really more of a very dark brown), black curry tends to be spicier than other kinds of Japanese curry and also has some bitter notes to its flavor profile, so this should be a unique fry-eating experience.
The Hokkaido Jaga Cheese Teriyaki McMuffin is priced at 410 yen (US$2.65), the other sandwiches at 490 yen, and the Black Curry Shaka Shaka powder at 50 yen (added on to whatever size of fries you’re ordering). The whole lineup is on sale now.
Source: McDonald’s Japan via Entabe
Top image: McDonald’s Japan
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