Glico Pretz Atsui Omoi no Chikin is dedicated to Hiroshima Toyo Carp, a professional baseball team in Japan’s Central League, and limited to the Chūgoku and Shikoku regions. The packaging for the Pretz featured ‘Carp Boy’, a mascot for the team, and comes in three versions, each with him wearing a different coloured uniform: white text on red (home), red text on white (visitor) or, as here, red text on blue (memorial). The words ‘Red Rising’ on the back of the box is part of the team’s 2015 slogan.

This Pretz flavour takes its inspiration from a hot and spicy version of the chicken wings by Oonishi that are a popular beer snack in Hiroshima (they come cooked and shrink wrapped). The description of the flavour was atsui omoi no chikin, which translates to ‘hot feelings’ (literally) or ‘passion’ of chicken. I took this to mean ‘hot and spicy’ chicken from the description and illustration on the box.

The Pretz smell delicious much like well-marinaded chicken: savoury, spiced and slightly sweet. The chicken flavour came through in the first bite, but it’s much milder than the smell suggests. By the second bite, the heat of the ‘hot and spicy’ makes itself known as a peppery burn and builds as you keep eating. The slight sweetness of the biscuit provides some relief, with a dull burn lingering for a short time after. This Pretz delivered on its promise of hot and spicy, rather than falling short in the sweet chilli territory, and yet it remains enjoyable – impressive.

The box of Glico Pretz Atsui Omoi no Chikin contained 2 packs each with ~20 pieces. It is a limited edition for the regions of Chūgoku and Shikoku, and was produced in Japan and purchased in Hiroshima, Japan in 2015.