Here, we would like to share a slightly different and rather interesting “food pairing”, distinct from the Japanese “food pairing” concept mentioned before. We wonder if explaining them as “food pairing games” or “food pairing trials” would help everyone understand…? There’s this food culture in Japan, they might be some kind of rumors or urban legends really… that says when eating certain ingredients together, you can enjoy the taste of a completely different ingredient. The origins of these ingredient combinations, who first suggested them or discovered them, remain unclear in each of them. However, they appear to be a relatively widely enjoyed some kind of food culture. Well… when you actually try them, you might end up thinking, “Hmm…!?” Still, you might be genuinely impressed that they managed to find them, or you might be utterly dumbfounded at the same time. We could say that this is one aspect of Japanese food culture that features many such lighthearted, entertaining elements. Incidentally, Japan has always had a strong belief that one should not play with food. “Wasting food invites punishment” is one of those common sayings often passed down as a lesson. In that sense, it’s not entirely wrong to say that these “food pairing games” have some less preferable aspects. However, we think they might be an interesting food culture born out of the Japanese sensibility. If you’re interested, why not give it a try? Of course, please be prepared to finish everything—never waste food, okay? Below are some representative examples of “food pairing games”.
※”★1～5″ reflects “my” personal level of satisfaction or recommendation. Please take them as a reference…

・Pudding + Soy Sauce = Sea Urchin（★４）
Probably one of the most well-known one of the “food pairing games”. Using soy sauce infused with dashi made from ingredients like kombu further enhances the flavor to might resemble sea urchin.

・Cucumber + Honey = Melon（★３）
This pairing is also one of the most well-known one of the “food pairing games”. It is better to use honey with a mild flavor.

・Avocado + Soy Sauce = Tuna Toro（★５）
This pairing was introduced as one of the delicious ways to eat avocados around the time they became widely known in Japan (late 1970s～). We should probably respect the sensibility of whoever described the taste and texture of this combination as “toro tuna”. Well, the taste is definitely that of soy sauce-flavored avocado, but it’s undoubtedly a delicious combination.

・Milk + Sugar + Barley Tea = Coffee Milk（★２）
When you actually try it, it’s maybe like, “Ummm…?” But if you drink it without knowing, you might mistake it for coffee milk.

・Natto + Tuna + Green Onion = Negitoro（★４）
To be honest, it doesn’t taste like negitoro. But if you don’t mind natto, it’s actually a pretty tasty combination. It might be even better as a filling for gunkan-maki or hand-rolled sushi.

・Takuan (Japanese pickled radish) + milk = corn soup（★１）
I do not recommend it. It’s Takuaaaaan stinky milk. This hazardous substance will turn your room into quite the disaster if heated.

・Black tea + Lemon + Whipped cream = Amazake（★１）
It doesn’t taste like amazake. It’s disrespectful to both the tea and the lemon, and to the whipped cream as well. Shaking it takes a lot of effort.

・Barley tea + orange juice = apple juice（★２）
It’s not particularly tasty, but it does have a flavor similar to apple juice. The nutty aroma of barley tea and the citrusy scent may counteract each other’s distinct flavors. But the scent is definitely barley tea and orange. This is a kind of flavored tea.

・Tofu + Miso = Cheese（★４）
There are so many different kinds of cheese, right? These kinds of cheese probably actually exist. Mix the tofu and miso thoroughly, then chill and firm it again or bake it to firm up. This will bring it even closer to the taste and texture of cheese. Let’s try.

・Salted squid paste + yogurt = caviar（★２）
This is absolutely not caviar. However… Somewhere out there, we think this kind of food exists. And surely there are people who love the taste of this combination.