Bokksu Japanese Snacks Transforms Summer Citrus

 

Bokksu Founder, Danny Taing, is becoming known as the “ambassador of Japanese snacks,” selling a million snacks to over 75 countries around the world in his company’s first two years in business.  The company offers the only gourmet snack box sourced and curated directly from local snack makers in Japan, has grown rapidly since its founding in May 2016 with subscribers from the United States and the UK to Singapore, Brasil, Kyrgyzstan and even Japan.

Premium subscription-based, Bokksu, offers an àla carte menu of carefully curated gourmet Japanese snacks; the only service of its kind sourced, boxed, and shipped directly from Japan. The snacks are carefully curated and hand-picked to match that month’s theme. Monthly boxes contain an assortment of savory and sweet snacks as well as a curated pairing of Japanese tea.

In addition, a Tasting & Cultural Guide is included that shares the story and flavors of each item in the box. //www.bokksu.com. In it Bokksu’s wonderful blogger, Julia LiMarzi presents a lively overview of citrus in Japan.

Taing lived in Japan for many years and fell in love with Japanese culture and the myriad of unique flavors he experienced, unavailable anywhere else.   “Snacking became not just a way to satiate hunger but create ritual, slow down, and create community by sharing. I discovered inspiring stories of the snack makers and the traditional recipes behind each one. Some of the snack makers Bokksu works with have been making their signature delicacies for hundreds of years, such as a 500-year-old Red Bean Paste, and the first maker to popularize Western desserts in Japan over 100 years ago.”

July features Japanese citrus, among the most valued in the world.

Japan has over 25 varieties of citrus, primarily eaten raw and also used as a  flavoring in both savory and sweet foods in Japan, such as the ubiquitous ponzu citrus sauce. Citrus is especially popular in summer for its cooling sensation. Juicy and refreshing, it’s a great pick-me-up on those hot muggy Japanese summer days when everyone is battling natsubate (夏バテ, summer fatigue).

 

Almost all citrus are descended from a few ancestral species, the most well-known of which are the Mandarin, Citron, Pomelo, and the Australian and Papuan Wild Limes. Cross-breeding, time and geographic spread have contributed to the staggering diversity of citrus we see today. Citrus fruits are known to be rich in flavonoids and Vitamin C.They are also popular year-round with both Winter and Summer varieties.

Japan’s geography has a wide range of climates, from snowy Hokkaido to Tropical Okinawa, and certain regions have been particularly fruitful for citrus growth (pun, absolutely intended). The region known as Setonaikai in Japanese has the perfect climate for citrus. Setonaikai is the Seto Inland Sea, and the land surrounding it on the edges of Honshu, Kyushu, and Shikoku make up its coast.

Setonaikai

MIKAN

The Mikan is the most popular citrus in Japan and is a common remedy to natsubate. It’s a hybrid of a mandarin and a pomelo native to Japan, with a higher percentage of pomelo DNA (about 22%) than most hybrids. It is sweet, seedless, and peels easily. It’s also been called Cold Hardy Mandarin, Satsuma Mandarin, Satsuma Orange, and Tangerine (a broad term applied to many Mandarin/Pomelo hybrids) in English. It is native to Kagoshima Prefecture (formerly called Satsuma), the southernmost prefecture of Kyushu, but is mostly grown in Ehime and Wakayama, both in the region of Setonaikai. Its peel brightens up the flavor in tea, also adding a wonderful fragrance. Try it in our Satsumarche Komikan Tea!

IYOKAN

This is the second most widely cultivated citrus fruit in Japan is a cross between a Dancy Tangerine and another Mandarin variety, with a thicker peel than a Mikan and a more tart, bitter flavor, but still more sweet than a grapefruit. The flesh has an impressive fragrance when peeled. Today, 80% of Iyokan cultivation happens in Ehime prefecture.

 

YUZU

We’ve written about zesty, tangy mandarin orange-grapefruit flavored The versatile fruit grows wild in Tibet and central China but is most widely cultivated in South Korea and Japan — and it now is cultivated in Southern California.  Bokksu’s 3 Zuzu-Flavored July snacks, chosen for “yuan’s wonderful aroma and intense flavor, include Handmade Yuzu Candy, Olive Oil Senbei Yuzu Pepper, and Satsumarche Yuzu Ryoku Tea.

 

SHIQUASA

This very tart fruit is native to the Ryukyu island chain (which includes Okinawa) and Taiwan. It is green when young and turns yellow when ripe, and its unique tart flavor makes it an interesting alternative to lemon and lime for garnishing and flavoring. Its potent flavor partners with salt and soy sauce in this addictive Mini Fried Rice Cracker Shiquasa Salt.

 

HYUGANATSU

Hyuganatsu is a sweet, juicy citrus variety often eaten raw the way a grapefruit would, cut in half and maybe with sugar sprinkled on top. It is light yellow in color and about the size of an orange. Like the mikan, it is a refreshing way to stave off natsubate, which is why we added Hyuganatsu Jelly to the “Citrus Refresh” Classic Bokksu. There are theories that the variety stems (haha, more plant puns) from a mutated Yuzu, or a chance cross of a Yuzu and Pomelo.

 

KABOSU

This sharp citrus variety is closely related to the Yuzu but has the tart bite of a lemon, often used in Japanese food as an alternative to vinegar on dishes like sashimi, cooked fish, and hot pot. It is mainly grown in Oita Prefecture, where certain regions are home to 200 and 300 year-old trees. Outside of Oita it can be a little pricey and is regarded as a delicacy.

 

BUSHUKAN

Its name in Japanese (and Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese) translates literally to “Buddha’s Hand” because of its fingerlike tendrils of citrus that look like an open hand when ripe. It’s mostly prized for its fragrance, and the unripe “closed hand” is given as an offering in Buddhist temples as a symbol of prayer. It has very little pulp and juice, so it isn’t popular for eating, but the zest can be used to add flavor to many dishes or candied as a sweet snack.

Previous boxes featured limited edition Kit Kats such as Mandarin Orange and exclusive collaboration with world-renowned Japanese pastry shop ChikaLicious.

Poised to redefine worldwide snacking traditions, Bokksu is the only subscription box service of its kind delivering a curated mix of gourmet, traditional, and longtime family-favorite snacks directly from Japan. A combination Tasting Menu and Culture Guide is included in every Bokksu along with a tea pairing.

Since the company’s inception, Bokksu has developed somewhat of a cult following where subscribers celebrate the monthly arrival of their Bokksu snack box with Bokksu snack parties.