Unagi, or eel in English, is known as a traditional Japanese food. It releases a crispy smell when grilled on a charcoal while removing excessive oil, along with a sauce that was handed down through generations. It is of course served as a meal, not as a sweet.
However, to your surprise, there is a confectionery called Unagi Pie in Japan, and this is a famous local specialty from Shizuoka prefecture! Yes, they are really using eel as their ingredients, and the great thing for this confectionery is that they are super tasty, and it can be Halal for Muslims.
Also check Halal certified Shizuoka’s specialty, Oden!
Eel and Shizuoka.
The biggest city in Shizuoka is Hamamatsu (浜松), and this city has the 10th largest lake Hamanako (浜名湖).
This lake is located right next to the ocean, and sea water still flows into the lake. Thanks to this fact, the water of the lake is slightly salted, which is the best environment for eel. This is the reason why Shizuoka is famous for eel production, and the confectionery that uses eel was produced.
Hamanako Lake
Why did they make Unagi Pie?
Shunkado (春華堂) is a company which has produced this weird confectionery. The founder of the company has visited a city and asked where he was from. When he answered he is from Hamamatsu, the reaction was “oh, the place famous for eel!”. This is why the founder wanted to make a souvenir that represents Hamamatsu.
Of course, it was not easy to make a confectionery that uses eel, especially when there were not many western confectioneries in Japan. They first tried a pie whose shape is like an eel, a pie on skewers, or a pie that had crispy sauce on top. After so many trials, finally they have succeeded in making Unagi Pie that has powdered eel inside.
Credit: https://ec.shunkado.co.jp/
It was 1961 when the first Unagi Pie was sold. The concept was “a confectionery of the night”, because it was difficult for Japanese family to gather at night as they were working hard to catch up with the rapid growth of economy at that time. Since this time, the confectionery became so famous and now it is a souvenir that people always buy when visiting Shizuoka or even Chubu region.
How is the taste and is Unagi Pie Halal?
Now you may wonder if the confectionery tastes like an eel. The answer is no! There is no eel flavor and if you do not know that they use eel powder, you can never associate this confectionery with eel. Though you are not good at eating eels, there is no worries at all.
The confectionery is super crispy! But the great thing is that they do not use shortening. Now let’s see if the product is Halal or not.
Ingredients
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Price
12 for 1,058 yen, 16 for 1,412 yen. There are more sizes available.
Expiry date
60 days
Please be reminded, that Unagi Pie V.S.O.P. is made with Brandy, so this is not Halal. Try to buy a normal one or the cone which comes just with nuts.
Where to buy the product? what can we do at the factory?
As the confectionery is super famous in Shizuoka and Chubu region, it is available at the souvenir shops and department stores, as well as at airports in Chubu region and even in Tokyo.
However, the main store of Shunkado has a Unagi Pie Factory, and it is worth visiting. There is a big size Unagi Pie, where you can take a memorial photo.
There are three types of tours: The first one is free visiting, the second one as guided which requires prior reservation, the third one is a tour that you can enjoy the freshly baked Unagi Pie. The third tour needs 500 yen per person, and do not forget to make a reservation.
Please be noted, that the item is not made Halal or Muslim-friendly, so there is a small risk of contamination, which we cannot be responsible of. We are here to help you with translation and not judging if the product is halal or not, please decide to consume the product at your own discretion.
