Oumi Arare

Authentic taste made from specially selected Omi glutinous rice

“Nakanishi Eiseido” established in 1926 in Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture, makes Arare (rice crackers) using Omi’s specialty glutinous rice as the main ingredient. This time, I bought an assortment set of “Oumi Arare”.

On the package, there is a tanka poem and a painting. This is called “Otsu-e”, a local folk painting that began about 350 years ago. The motif of this package seems to be the well-known “Raikou no Taiko-Tsuri” which was drawn to remind people of the crispiness of hand-baked Arare (rice crackers).

There were five kinds of “Arare” in the package.

“Nakanishi Eiseido” has been a rice wholesaler since the beginning of the Meiji era, and the store’s knowledge of rice has led to high expectations for its rice cracker creations.

The simple yet robust flavor of the ingredients is evident. Each rice cracker was carefully grilled over a charcoal fire, giving it a savory and elegant taste.