Order delicious Okinawan sweets online.
Five popular selections for gifts and souvenirs.

 

Among some of the more familiar choices of popular snacks and sweets from Okinawa are the Chinsuko, a classic, Okinawan-style cookie that is one of the top-selling souvenirs, and the Beni-Imo Tart, another tasty choice that uses Okinawan purple potatoes. There are also many other delicious and attractive sweets made in Okinawa that are perfect for gifts and souvenirs.
To enjoy the tastes and feelings of Okinawa, ordering online is a convenient way to go. The best part about online shopping is you can order it while relaxing at home and just wait for your order to arrive.
In this article, we’ll introduce five great choices that are made with Okinawan ingredients, tastes that you can only enjoy in Okinawa, but are now available online.
All of the items are available through Okinawa CLIP Marche (site in Japanese only).



1.  Great as a souvenir from the Shikinaen Gardens, a World Heritage Site!
     The “Shikinaen Rumanpei” by Imai Pain

---

 

[Boulangerie Pâtisserie Imai Pain] is located about five minutes away on foot from the Shikinaen Gardens, a World Heritage Site in Naha City. The bakery is a popular shop among the locals.
Imai Pain doesn’t offer just bread but also has a great selection of various pastries and cakes, too.



Although the Shikinaen Gardens is a major tourist attraction, there weren’t very many gifts nor souvenirs the represented the gardens. Imai-san, the owner of Imai Pain, came up with the “Shikinaen Rumanpei,” a pastry inspired by the Shikinaen Gardens. The Rumanpei was developed in collaboration with Maruyoshi Shio Senbeiya, a long-established Senbei or rice cracker specialist. Topped on the special Senbei made just for the Rumanpei are caramel almond slices, coconuts, and salt from Guérande, France, and then they’re baked to perfection.



Rumanpei has a delightful texture that starts crispy followed by a nice crunch, and the balance of sweetness and saltiness is simply perfect. It was developed with the theme of “Okinawa and French Champuru (a great mix)”.


 

The “Shurijo Kariipei” is another creation by Imai Pain and Maruyoshi Shio Senbeiya, and is named after Shurijo Castle, another World Heritage that’s also situated within Naha City.
The name, Karii, was taken from the Okinawan word for “cheers” and also chosen because of the similar sound of “curry” that is used as a flavoring for the Senbei. 



Shurijo Kariipei has caramelized Jimami (peanut) on top of the curry-flavored Shio Senbei which is made carefully one by one. After they’re baked in the oven, the sweetness and saltiness, as well as the wonderful aromas of the spices are fully brought out, and the texture is crunchy and crispy.
 

■For more on Imai Pain, check out these articles.
  https://okinawaclip.com/en/detail/1631
  https://okinawaclip.com/en/detail/1437



2.  Pastries rooted in Shuri. Four varieties of Shulien, or French financier cakes, created in collaboration with local companies.

---

 

Just a stone’s throw away from the Ishidatami Michi, or the well-known stone-paved roads that attract many visitors and locals to enjoy the ancient royal capital in Shuri, Naha City, is Dessert Labo Chocolat. The shop opened its doors in 2007, and since then, it has continued to be cherished by the locals for its wonderful cakes and other sweets.
In welcoming their 10^th anniversary in 2017, the people at Dessert Labo Chocolat went to work in creating a line of pastries in collaboration with local companies in Shuri. This is how their “Shulien” series came to be.


 

As mentioned, the Shulien are four varieties of financiers, a type of French pastry.
The “Shuri Ocho Hachimitsu (Shuri dynasty honey) × Lemon Peel” is made with honey produced by Arakaki Yohoen (bee farm), and the “Zuisen Awamori × Kokuto (brown sugar)” has Awamori distilled by Zuisen blended into the dough and also applied to the surfaces of the pastry after they come out of the oven. Their “Tamanaha Miso × Cheese” combines miso made by Tamanaha Miso into melted butter to create a sweet and salty blend, and finally, the “Hantagawa Tofu × Goma (sesame seeds)” uses Hantagawa Tofu, handmade at Sueyoshi Tofu Kakojo (tofu factory), to create a gentle taste that isn’t too sweet.


 

The package has designs of Shurijo Castle so they’re perfect as souvenirs from Okinawa.

■For more on Dessert Labo Chocolat click https://okinawaclip.com/en/detail/1601



3.  “Manhattan-no Koi”, the amazing cheesecake that won the first prize for the best online shopping product for the pastries and sweets category.

---

 

PUZO CHEESECAKE CELLAR (Puzo, hereafter) is a cheesecake specialty shop owned by Trunq Co., Ltd., that also operates “Casa Trunq ~ restaurant, wine and lemon,” and “Wine Shokudo Trunq, Italian Gohan, Kumoji Branch”.

The cheesecake on the menu at PUZO PASTASAND MARKET that later became “Wine Shokudo Trunq, Terrace Gohan, Oroku Gushi Branch,” was so popular among the customers that they opened their first cheesecake specialty shop in Okinawa in 2012. Since then, they have opened several branches including the Oroku Labo Branch, Aeon Mall Okinawa Rycom Branch, and others.


 

All of the cakes in the display case at PUZO are cheesecakes. Whenever you go, you’ll find that they offer about 10 varieties of whole cheesecakes as well as about 15 variations of cheesecakes by the slice.
Among them, their “Love of Manhatten” cheesecake won the top prize in the western pastries and sweets category for the best online products in the year 2015.

Love of Manhatten is popular for its rich taste created enhanced by the amazing aroma of the vanilla beans produced in Madagascar, and high-quality natural cheese made in Denmark, a nation well-known for its quality dairy products. The all-natural ingredients give depth to the flavors, and the added lemon juice gives it a refreshing finish.


 

Their “Three Stars Pudding” is so popular that they often sell out. The creamy texture of the bitter-sweet caramel and Italian mascarpone cheese is heavenly and just melts in your mouth.

■For more on PUZO click https://okinawaclip.com/en/detail/1403



4.  [MA-SAN MICHEL]: A delicious meeting of Okinawa and fresh caramel.

---

MA-SANA MICHEL specializes in caramel made with Okinawan ingredients, and their shops can be found on Kokusai Street at the heart of Naha City, as well as at San-A Parco City, a large shopping mall along the west coast of Urasoe City.



It all started when the founder of MA-SANA MICHEL came across a single piece of caramel by chance while in France. The owner wanted to share the eye-opening experience from the trip to those visiting Okinawa, and so this is how MA-SANA MICHEL began to make their special caramel using ingredients grown in Okinawa.


 

At MA-SANA MICHEL, they offer five varieties of caramels; PLAIN has a texture and taste that you won’t forget, BROWN SUGAR is made with sugarcane grown under the brilliant Okinawan sun, SALT has a sophisticated taste with a nice touch added by the natural salt made in Chatan, MANGO has a delightful taste from mangoes grown in Ogimi Village, and finally, the COCONUT with the wonderful aroma of coconut, the queen of tropical flavors.

■For more on MA-SANA MICHEL, click https://okinawaclip.com/en/detail/1435



5.  [Fusion Manuka Honey]: A delightful combination of Okinawan ingredients
and New Zealand’s manuka honey.

---

The manuka honey offered by Honey Fusion is collected in New Zealand’s historical Tongariro National Park. As the component and taste of the honey can be affected when heated, Honey Fusion is particular about producing non-heated honey to keep the wonderful flavor and natural goodness of honey.



The president of Honey Fusion, Naoko McIlvride, who is originally from Okinawa, and her husband and vice president of the company, Glenn, who is from New Zealand, wanted to “offer products that are a fusion of great things from both countries.” This is what inspired the creation of their very popular lineup of “Fusion Manuka Honey” products.



The local Okinawan ingredients are freeze-dried to keep their natural nutrients and flavors. Combined with the manuka hone are strawberries from Ginoza Villae, ginger from Yaese Town, Shikwasa citrus grown in Ogimi Village, and peanuts from Ie Island.


 

You can add some honey to your yogurt or top it on bread or even ice cream, too. Try it in carbonated water, tea, or various alcoholic beverages and enjoy the great tastes.

■For more on Honey Fusion, click https://okinawaclip.com/en/detail/1716



That concludes our introduction of various reports from our photo writers at Okinawa CLIP.
To enjoy the wonderful tastes of Okinawa, there are various Okinawan products available online that you can have delivered to your home. We hope you’ll find great Okinawan products so that you can enjoy the feeling of Okinawa.


All of the products introduced in this article are available at Okinawa CLIP Marche, an online shopping site operated by Okinawa CLIP.
http://marche.okinawaclip.com/products/list.php?name=clip2715




Okinawa CLIP Editorial Dept.