An Explosion of Kakipi Flavours

I received an early Christmas present last month in the form of a care package. My thoughtful in-laws remembered my kakipi addiction that was on full display this past summer (it's a pack a day habit I can only kick by leaving the country) and sent me three six-packs of my favourite snack. But that's not all, there were three more suspicious packages accompanying them. They looked like kakipi, but the colours were off and there were funny little pictures of fruits and vegetables on them. (N.B. Kaki are soya-flavoured mini crackers that resemble persimmon seeds, and pi is short for peanuts in Japanese. In this case, perfectly polished peanuts.)

A closer inspection revealed a familiar package of wasabi flavoured kakipi, typically a last resort when my local Japanese grocery store is out of the original, and really only, flavour. The next two had the look of trendy experiments with "fail" written all over them--Ume Shiso and Yuzu Kosho. Nightmarish flashbacks of products I hadn't even tried like Pepsi Shiso ran through my mind and dread at the thought of corrupted kakipi began to build.

Ume Shiso Kakipi

Nonetheless, I bravely ripped open a bag of the Ume Shiso and gave it a try. I reasoned that by getting the worst out of the way early, I could save the best for last. For the uninitiated, ume is short for umeboshi, or salted pickled plum. Umeboshi is salty enough to pucker your lips and make your eyes water. Aficionados might eat them straight, but most prefer to eat them with a plain food like rice when looking for a little more flavour.

The original, and still the best.

Shiso is the zesty leaf sometimes used to wrap onigiri (rice balls) instead of nori (seaweed). Shiso is a difficult flavour to describe. It's not quite like mint, nor is it like chewing on a regular plant leaf, but somewhere pleasant in between. Shiso's charms aside, it was hard to imagine it doing anything good for umeboshi (which should only be consumed inside onigiri if you ask me).

One bite was all it took. What a revelation! Ume Shiso Kakipi is simply the best thing to happen in the world of snacks since, well, kakipi. The food chemists at Kameda somehow managed to find the perfect blend of plum and shiso to create a fruit-flavoured snack with a bit of a kick. Immediately, I grasped the reason for this creation. It was invented for the sole purpose of being paired with sake. A quick trip to the fridge and back was enough to confirm that Ume Shiso Kakipi is to sake as the original is to beer. And no wonder, I'm not the only one to detect the fruity notes in many sake. What better snack to pair with that than one flavoured with pickled plum?

Yuzu Kosho Kakipi

Wow. I wasn't expecting to go on that long about this one flavour. But it was good. How good? I made the mistake of sharing the news with my wife and two bags quickly disappeared. This has never happened before with the rest of my kakipi stash.

So what about the Yuzu Kosho? Yuzu is like a bitter grapefruit and it is combined here with kosho, a type of hot pepper. The flavours balance well, but I found this mutation of kakipi too hot to pair with beer or sake, so what's the point? It tastes all right mind you, but I wouldn't fly to Japan just to eat some. Ditto the wasabi.

Wasabi Kakipi

While I'm as suspicious as the next person of brands trying to extend a hit product with an ill-advised flavour combination. Take it from me, Ume Shiso Kakipi is awesome. Let's just hope it's not a limited edition.