Setouchi Lemon Taiyaki

”Taiyaki" appear out of the lemon-appealing package.

bought “Lemon Taiyaki” made by Kamei Seika in Ehime Prefecture. I had never thought of “lemon” for taiyaki, but I feel that they are trying to utilize the lemon, a specialty of the Seto-Inland Sea, in a variety of sweets.

The package does not depict a taiyaki, but an illustration of a lemon below the word “taiyaki. It even has the logo of Hakata no Shio (salt from the Seto Inland Sea) on it, giving the impression that it contains all of the Setouchi’s famous products. It has a very strong “Setouchi specialty” feel to it.

When you open the package, all you can tell is that it is a taiyaki.

When I split it in half, the bean paste inside was pure white and had a citrusy aroma. It seems to be lemon bean paste.

The lemon bean paste is sweet and sour, and the Hakko salt helps to enhance the sweetness. The bean paste has a real lemon flavor, with a slight bitterness in the sourness, and I felt that the bean paste is made from fresh lemons. These mini-sized taiyakis are cute and interesting.