Iwata is a confectionery maker in Kumamoto founded in 1949 that has prided itself on handmade confectionery using local ingredients since inception. This Iwata Higodaiko is part of a Kumamoto Suprise series with products featuring Kumamon, the prefectural mascot, on their packaging.
The Higodaiko is around 10 cm in diameter and handmade individually from a mix of roasted peanuts and rice crackers and seasoned with soy sauce, garlic and red pepper. It was awarded the Grand Prize at the National Confectionary Expo in Japan.
A rich aroma of roasted peanuts came through on opening the packaging. Upon tasting, the initial flavour was sweet from the starch syrup binding it together and creating an almost jaw-breaking hard crunch. As you crunch through, the sweetness developed with the crispy peanuts with a pleasant savoury umami from the soy sauce and a gentle heat from the red pepper. The overall effect is an immensely nostalgic flavour that recalled the slightly sweet and savoury notes of traditional East Asian sweets with an added delicious crispiness and heat.
This package of Iwata Higodaiko contained 1 piece. It was produced in Japan and purchased in Tōkyō, Japan in 2018.