Yakiniku-San Taro: Classic Surimi Fish Jerky Snack
As I wrote before, Japan has three classifications of snacks.
One of them, Dagashi (駄菓子), is the word for cheap and relatively small Japanese snacks/candies loved by children.
One primary reason why Japanese kids favor such treats is that they are not only cheap but also unique, appealing, and fun.
As you can see in my past articles, there are a variety of Surimi fish paste snacks in the genre.
Examples include Cut Yocchan, Kabayaki-san Taro, and Big Katsu, and what I introduce here, Yakiniku-san Taro (焼肉さん太郎), is also among them.
Yakiniku-San Taro (焼肉さん太郎)
What I picked up this time, Yakiniku-san Taro (焼肉さん太郎), is one of my favorite Dagashi treats I used to eat as a kid.
It is one of the Dagashi classics produced by Kado (菓道) and sold by Yaokin (やおきん), only costing you 15 yen (about 0.1 USD) (as of June 20, 2022).
As you may know, Yakiniku (焼肉) in its name usually refers to a grilled meat dish associated with beef and pork.
However, the Dagashi Yakiniku-san Taro is a snack made from surimi fish paste with neither beef nor pork.
Specifically, according to the article 焼肉さん太郎 on Japanese Wikipedia, the main ingredient is minced walleye (Alaska) pollack.
Instead, it is brushed with a Yakiniku no Tare-like sauce and baked savory.
As the resulting treat takes on a jerky-like touch texture, the more you chew, the more umami comes out and the tastier it becomes.
The Dagashi Yakiniku-san Taro is a kind of junk food, but it is also a unique Chinmi worth trying at least once!
Ingredients/Nutrition Facts
| Fish surimi (fish meat, sugar), Wheat flour, Squid powder, Soy sauce, Mirin, Sugar, Spice, Seasoning (amino acid), Caramel pigment, Sorbitol, Sweeteners (stevia, licorice) |
Nutritional Values
| Calories | 10 kcal |
| Protein | 0.7 g |
| Fat | 0.02 g |
| Carbohydrates | 1.9 g |
| Salt equivalents | 0.2 g |
