Fukuoka’s best Halal pudding with “Sea Salt”! How is that special?

Blessing from ocean.

Japan is surrounded by ocean, which means that we have a lot of blessings from there. People will easily imagine that will be seafood, but it is not the only thing; we have so much sea salt, too.

Driving off from the city center of Fukuoka for nearly an hour along a breathtaking coastline, there is Mataichi Saltern (またいちの塩製塩所), a salt factory. This is where the waves from open and inland sea of Genkainada gather, which is creating a great environment for their salt industry.

The quality of their sea salt is very high, and so many restaurants with Michelin star are using the salt from this factory.

What are the things available for travelers and why are they our recommendation for Muslims? You can find the answer in the following article!

What can we do at Mataichi Saltern?

Can you guess how much salt can they get out of 1 liter of sea water? It is only ONE gram! About 99.9% of the sea water disappears when the salt is made.

The quality of Mataichi Saltern is great. This is because minerals from both ocean and mountain are mixed, thanks to the cleanest ocean which actually belongs to Genkainada Quasi-National Park.

Also, because the Saltern is located at a very isolated place where there is no residential area, water is not contaminated at all! This is the reason why they have opened the Saltern at this place, though there is not enough space to dry up the salt close by.

To our surprise, the Saltern is open for visitors for free! We can see how the salt is made from the ocean water.

Do you think it is just to heat up the water? No, of course not! At Mataichi Saltern, it takes about 1 month to complete the process, using all traditional pods and tools, not using any machineries.

You can make a reservation for your tour if there are more than 10 people, but not necessarily.

The greatest Salt Pudding at Mataichi!

What has made their name so famous does not only rely on their salt; Their famous “Pudding” is a must-try at this place.

Now you must be thinking why Pudding is famous in this saltern, because Pudding itself does not contain any salt.

Itoshima City, where the Saltern is located, is actually very famous for their brand egg called Tenjo Egg (天井卵). Using this great egg and their special salt, they have made pudding, because adding a little bit of salt can make the taste even sweeter.

The pudding is just so amazing. It is very soft and smooth, with a bit of accent of the salt. There are two types of puddings which are available throughout a year, plus a seasonal flavor.

Hana Shio pudding is a simple pudding with just a caramel sauce. Another one is Sesame salt pudding, which comes with sesame and special Salted Caramel sauce at the bottom.

The very first bite should be as it is to enjoy the taste, and then you can top some of their crispy sesame and salt. The third bite can be enjoyed with the sauce at the bottom! There is an observatory from which you can enjoy the great view of the ocean.

Halal souvenirs available, too.

There is also a souvenir shop. Their main product is of course “salt”, so most of the things can be Halal, which is a great news for Muslims!

They have 2 major salts. One is Boild Salt (炊き塩), and another is Roasted Salt (焼き塩).

Roasted salt is made from Boiled salt by being fired in the pod, so it has less moisture, and each grain becomes smaller. Roasted Salt is recommended when the salt is eaten as it is, while Boiled Salt can be used for cooking.

Their Puddings are also available, but since it does not have any preserve inside, the expiry date is too short as a souvenir. Online shopping is available at their official Website.

Details of the shop

Please be reminded, that the products we have introduced is not made as Halal, so there is a small risk of contamination, which we cannot be responsible of.  We are not judging if the product is Halal or not, please consume at your own risk.