Senbei are a variety of rice cracker native to Japan and well loved by the populace. They’re the snack of choice when light munching is in order and are offered to guests as a matter of course. However, senbei aren’t the only rice cracker in Japan. There’re two other varieties of rice cracker which also fall under that category: okaki and arare.

Okaki and arare are basically processed the same way as senbei and use the same ingredients with one exception; Okaki and arare use glutinous rice (mochi goma) and senbei use non-glutinous rice. Also, traditionally, senbei are shaped in large flat circles while arare are smaller and and more spherical (I believe cracker nuts would fall into this category). The word “arare” literally means “hailstone”.

Not all rice crackers are savory. Aside from the frequently used nori (seaweed) and soy sauce, sweet varieties are also produced. I’ve had a few mixes that are exceptional in this regard.

Senbei have been around as a snack in Japan for quite some time. They’ve traditionally been grilled (and still are) and served hot and fresh on the spot by street vendors. You just can’t get that kind of snack service here in the US.

Kuromame okaki (black soybean rice cracker) is one of my latest finds and I finally have
enough time to review ‘em.

The bag is in 100% Japanese and is average in terms of packaging. The only way I knew what these crackers were was from the romanji on the back and the fact that Chikashi recommended them.

After eating a hefty handful, I’m not too impressed with this particular senbei. In fact, I hate to say this but, once you’ve had the basic varieties of rice crackers, you’ve had ‘em all. Kuromame okaki taste just like other okaki and senbei, except for the sliced black soybeans liberally dispersed in the cracker.

The soybeans offer an interesting, nutty texture but nothing else. I can’t even really taste them and that’s disappointing since I love soybeans

I haven’t eaten senbei, okaki, and arare simultaneously to compare them, but it seems to me that this okaki has a crisper, lighter taste. Aside from that, these crackers are almost bland, and that’s OK. However, I’m on a quest for an exceptional sembei that suits my palette and these guys aren’t doing it.

For those utterly unfamiliar with Japanese crackers and have no idea what I’m talking about:

Rice crackers overall, have a light crisp texture with a very slight, sweet taste from the rice flour. They’re usually coated in a sweet-ish soy sauce and flavored with seaweed. There are other varieties, the most notable, to me, being a Tokyo style senbei mix which is a very colorful, sweeter senbei mix that’s deep fried (soooo good!)

Kuromame okaki is good but not at all exceptional. It’s average as a senbei mix, crispier and more textured than most, and while I’d eat ‘em again as a snack if offered, I wouldn’t buy kuromame okaki again. I’m actually disappointed with most senbei because so many seem to fall short in the creative category. However, for that very reason, I’m going to go through as many interesting senbei mixes as humanly possible in order to find the best out there to share with you. (poor me)

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