Soft Salad Senbei: Kameda’s Long-Selling Rice Cracker
“Senbei (煎餅)” is the traditional Japanese rice cracker most commonly eaten in Japan. It is traditionally made from non-glutinous rice “Uruchi-Mai (うるち米)”, pounded and formed into a thin round shape, and then baked.
Although traditional Senbei rice crackers are flavored mainly with soy sauce or salt, in modern times Senbei comes in various shapes and a variety of flavors, like curry, wasabi (Japanese horseradish), and sea urchin.
In fact, if you have a chance to go to supermarkets in Japan, you will find many varieties of Senbei products lined up on the shelf in the snack and candy section.
I’m Japanese, so I have many favorite Senbei rice crackers, out of which, today I will introduce the long-selling product “Kameda Seika Soft Salad (亀田製菓 ソフトサラダ)”.
Kameda Seika Soft Salad Senbei
The Senbei “Soft Salad (ソフトサラダ)” is a Japanese rice cracker produced and sold by Kameda Seika, a leading Japanese confectionery company well-known for Kameda Crisps rice crackers.
Kameda Seika Soft Salad Senbei was released in 1970 and today has become a standard Senbei loved by Japanese of all generations.
Features
While typical Senbei rice crackers have a hard, crunchy texture, Kameda Seika’s Soft Salad Senbei is light, soft crispy in texture, as its name indicates.
These Senbei are mainly seasoned with the traditional Okinawan Salt called “Shimamasu (シママース)” which is a roasted salt made from Okinawa’s seawater.
The Shimamasu salt has lots of umami, which determines this Senbei’s taste.
Ingredients
According to the label on the back of the package, the main ingredients of the Kameda Seika Soft Salad Senbei are non-glutinous rice “Uruchi-Mai”, glutinous rice, vegetable fat and oil, starch, Shimamasu salt, powdered bonito extract, and flavorings including amino acid.
Conclusion
The Soft Salad Senbei contains vegetable fat and oil, but isn’t oily at all. It is light and crispy, and while crunching it, the rice cracker melts in the mouth.
If you are a Senbei beginner and interested in the classic Japanese rice cracker, Kameda Seika Soft Salad is a recommended item worth a try, because it is really tasty with an excellent texture.
