Neri Ame (Mizu Ame): It’s fun to knead the honey-like candy
There are a number of simple, good old candies in Japan that have long been loved by both children and adults for decades, and representative examples of such Japanese candy include “Shio Ame (塩飴)“, “Kuro Ame (黒飴)“, and “Hakka Ame (ハッカ飴)“.
And what I introduce today is also a classic Japanese candy of that kind which is called “Neri Ame (練り飴 or ねりあめ)”. By the way, as you may know, the word “Ame (飴)” usually refers to hard candy in Japanese.
Neri-Ame (ねりあめ) or Mizu-Ame (水飴)
Unlike Shio Ame, Kuro Ame, or Hakka Ame, “NeriAme (ねりあめ)” is a candy particularly for kids, because it is a kind of DIY candy.
Neri Ame is also called “MizuAme (水飴)” and the word “Mizu (水)” means water in Japanese. I think the reason why Neri Ame has another name Mizu Ame is that the base candy is clear and transparent in color like water.
Neri Ame or Mizu Ame is a casual and cheap “Dagashi (駄菓子)” sugar candy. As a matter of fact, this one from Yaokin only costs 50 yen (0.5 USD) in Japan.
In the package, accompanied by a pair of short wooden chopsticks, there is the base candy of Neri Ame with a consistency like honey. But it is somewhat more thick, sticky, and stretchy as compared to ordinary honey.
The Japanese Neri Ame or Mizu Ame candy is available in various flavors and colors, and this one has a lemon flavor, so its color is yellow.
How to Enjoy
Neri Ame is a DIY candy, so first, you scoop up the base candy with the chopsticks and put on them.
As the word “Neri (ねり)” means kneading, to complete the making process, next you need to knead the honey-like sugar candy sufficiently.
When you knead it for a few minutes, the candy mixes with air and becomes pretty soft, and its color also changes from transparent to translucent, which means it is ready to eat.
Ingredients
As I mentioned above, the Japanese candy, Neri Ame or Mizu Ame is a simple, good old DIY candy for children and the ingredient of the Yaokin’s Neri Ame is also simple, mainly consisting of starch syrup, flavoring, and colors.
