I hate to keep harping on this vegetable boom going on Japan, but on the other hand, it is interesting to see a trend become, well, actually a trend. As in one that show some significant trajectory and a whole lot of new product developments. If the last year was all about drinkable veggies (a move that created some pretty unlikely combinations like the tomato flavored liquor) then the current convenient store situation is all about vegetable snacks and sweets.
Major confectionaries like Meito and Fujiya have weighed in with items such as pumpkin pudding and sweet potato flavored cookies, respectively. Snack giant Calbee now has a whole line of vegetable snacks including hits like Vegips. Meanwhile Socio has carved out an image of using “farm fresh ingredients” in snack products like the colorful sweet potato chips pictured below (right).
Really, there is just too many to mention individually. Suffice to say that the convenience store is looking a lot healthier these days.
It was upon discovering these tomato and sweet potato chocolates produced by patisserie Potager on the shelves, however, that a connection appeared between the trendy cake shop and products like sweet potato cookies being on the shelves now.
Located in fashionable Nakameguro, Potager always seems to have a crowd these days of women lined up to purchase such goodies as “tomato cheesecake” and “turnip roll cake.”
Though the shop/café has been around for a couple of years now it has continued to pick up a steady stream of media (most recently in TV Japan, Elle a la Table, and Biteki magazines and appearing on Fuji TV), casting a spotlight on 31-year-old head chef Aya Kakisawa.
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