Sauce Senbei vs. Shoyu (Soy Sauce) Senbei Crackers

Senbei (煎餅/せんべい) is a traditional Japanese cracker made from non-glutinous rice called Uruchi Mai (うるち米), first steamed, then pounded, molded, dried, and baked or grilled. 

Senbei is traditionally brushed with soy sauce or lightly salted, but in modern times, it comes in various flavors, such as curry, wasabi, and ume (plum).

Sauce Senbei vs. Shoyu Senbei 

Japanese Dagashi Snack Sauce Senbei

Japanese Senbei crackers generally consist of Uruchi rice, the staple of the Japanese diet, but there are some exceptions, which typically use wheat flour or starch.

What I bought today, Sauce Senbei (ソースせんべい), is among them, but what kind of sauce is prepared for the crackers?  Further, what is the difference between Sauce Senbei and Shoyu or Soy Sauce Senbei?

Shoyu Senbei (醤油せんべい)

Shoyu Senbei

First, Shoyu Senbei is the most common Senbei variety made from non-glutinous Uruchi rice, brushed with soy sauce, as Shoyu (醤油) is the Japanese word for soy sauce. 

Shoyu Senbei originated in Soka City, Saitama Prefecture, and the snack has over one hundred years of history. It is usually classified into Wagashi.

Sauce Senbei (ソースせんべい)

Sauce Senbei Rice Crackers

On the other hand, Sauce Senbei is a modern Dagashi treat first created around the mid-20th century.

The main ingredient is not rice but starch. And this Senbei uses a Japanese Worcester sauce or the like as its main seasoning.

Ingredients/Nutrition Facts

Sauce Senbei Rice Cracker Ingredients

Sauce Senbei Rice Cracker Nutrition Facts

For your information, here are the ingredients and nutrition facts labels of the Sauce Senbei I got this time.

(Reference Pages: Wikipedia ソースせんべい, 煎餅 )

Tomo

Hi, I'm Tomo, a Japanese blogger living in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. For the purpose of enriching your life, I would like to introduce things about Japan on this blog, especially unique Japanese products, cooking recipes, cultures, and facts and trivia.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.