From The In-Laws: Ginger Cookies!
Eriko’s parents like to send us packages, often with food inside. Here we will explore our latest package, and the goodies contained therein.
This week’s package, in addition to the senbei, also included something we get a lot from my in-laws: rice crackers spiced with ginger honey.
The first time I went with Eriko to visit her parents, at the end of the trip, we stopped by a department store to buy sweets for her coworkers. As she and her mother and sister endlessly debated the merits of each treat, I wandered around the counters, some of which offered free samples. Rejoining them as they paid for the gifts, I noticed that the counter they were at also had a little basket of samples, tiny shards of a hard cookie that tasted sort of like a ginger snap, but lighter.
Like delicious porcelain.
“You like?” asked Eriko.
“Yes,” I said.
Without a word, Eriko’s parents then immediately bought a pack of them for us, and have continued to send them several times a year. That’s fine with me because I like them, and because they are free of calories (I assume).
The company’s name is Shibafune Koide, and was founded in Kanazawa City in 1917. The rice crackers are oval-shaped and dusted with a layer of sugar to have the appearance of being covered in snow.
More information, translated by Eriko
“Ginger honey is made by carefully rubbing together sugar and ginger juice that has been squeezed each time to keep the spiciness and flavor intact. The ginger honey is heated to about 80 degrees Celsius by boiling water to bring out the spiciness and mellowness of the ginger, and is still applied one by one with a brush by skilled craftsmen.”
I would eat these by the tube.
The result is what looks like a giant Pringle. It’s very thick, and usually more convenient to just break up into shards within the wrapper so nothing flies off as you bite in. It’s hard and crunchy, and has a sting of ginger without being overwhelming. I do my best not to eat more than 40 in a day.
If you are ever in Kanazawa, this is a must-try. I hope my in-laws continue sending them because they are delicious!
