Big Katsu: Tonkatsu Pork Cutlet-like Fish Surimi Snack
Have you ever heard of the Japanese Dagashi (駄菓子)?
For the unfamiliar, Dagashi is the word for cheap and unique Japanese snacks and candies, especially popular with children.
The treats come in numerous varieties, and their price ranges from 10 yen (about 0.1 USD) to 100 yen.
In the snack genre, there are various variations of treats made from Surimi (すり身) fish paste,
and popular products include the Cut Yocchan (カットよっちゃん) that I showed the other day.
If I give another example, Big Katsu (ビッグカツ) is also one of the best, which was one of my favorite Dagashi treats as a kid.
Big Katsu (ビッグカツ)
And this time, I picked up the Dagashi Big Katsu produced by Kado (菓道) and sold by Yaokin (Price: 40 yen) at a market for this blog article.
I used to buy it at a small candy shop dedicated to Dagashi called Dagashiya (駄菓子屋) in my neighborhood that doesn’t exist now.
The surimi snack, Big Katsu, first debuted in 1978, created by a Hiroshima-based Dagashi maker named Suguru (すぐる).
Today, it has been a favorite of many children in Japan and is available at many supermarkets and convenience stores.
According to Japanese Wikipedia, the snack also has recognition in France, where it ranked No.1 in the popularity contest of Dagashi held by a Japanese TV program.
Features
As the Katsu (カツ) in the name stands for a cutlet, the Dagashi Big Katsu features a Tonkatsu-like brown, crispy covering.
However, the main ingredient is not pork but Surimi fish paste consisting mainly of walleye (Alaska) pollack.
Taste
Image: icoro.com
Nonetheless, the Surimi snack has no fishy smell and tastes pretty good using flavorings, including chicken extract, curry powder, and Tonkatsu sauce.
Because of the deliciousness, some Dagashi lovers even make Katsudon (カツ丼) with these treats!
Ingredients/Nutrition Facts
| Fish surimi, Wheat flour, Panko breadcrumb, Vegetable oil, Starch, Sauce, Chicken extract, Hen’s egg, Shrimp powder, Spices, Amino acid seasoning, Sorbitol, Glycerin, Acidifier, Caramel pigment, Baking powder, Lecithin, Sweeteners (stevia, licorice). |
Nutritional Values
| Calories | 121 kcal |
| Protein | 2.8 g |
| Fat | 7.1 g |
| Carbohydrates | 11.3 g |
| Salt equivalents | 0.5 g |
(Reference Page: Wikipedia ビッグカツ )
