Shio Ame: Classic Japanese Salt Candy
As I wrote about it before, “Kuro Ame (黒飴)” is a classic Japanese hard candy made using high-quality Okinawan raw brown sugar called “Kokuto (黒糖)”.
In Japan, the Kokuto candy, Kuro Ame comes in quite a few varieties, and Kasugai Seika Confectionery is especially famous for its Kuro Ame candy.
Actually, in addition to Kokuto candy, the Japanese confectionery maker, Kasugai Seika has one more best-selling product with a unique taste, which is called “Shioame (塩あめ)”.
Shio Ame Candy from Kasugai Seika
As the name, “Shio-Ame (塩あめ)” literally means “salt (hard) candy” in Japanese, you might wonder if the Japanese treat is more on the salty side.
To get to the point, the Japanese salt candy, Shio Ame isn’t salty. Rather, with a moderate, gentle sweetness, it makes the most of the umami of salt.
But Shio Ame contains some salt, so many of us Japanese like to suck on the salted candy especially during the hot summer months to replenish salt lost by sweating.
As with Kuro Ame, today, Shio Ame is produced and sold by a number of confectionery companies and some use various kinds of fruit juice in addition to salt.
Among such Shio Ame products, Kasugai Seika Shio Ame has a large market share and is loved by many people in Japan.
Hakata no Shio (伯方の塩: Salt of Hakata)
As you can easily guess by now, the most important element of the salt candy Shio Ame is literally salt. As for Kasugai’s Shio Ame, it is made using Japan’s most famous salt brand “Hakata no Shio (伯方の塩: Salt of Hakata)”.
The Hakata no Shio salt contains the right amount of bittern and is especially characterized by its rich umami taste.
Ingredients and Nutrition Facts
Lastly, let’s see the specific ingredients, nutrition facts, and calories of the Kasugai Seika Shio Ame candy.
Based on the labels pictured above, this Japanese sweet consists of starch syrup, sugar, salt (100 percent Hakata no Shio), and soy sauce.
The calories per 100 grams are 383 kcal and the salted candy Shio Ame contains 113 mg of salt per piece.
