Preserved Plum Candy

Those of you who have tried ume shiso rolls at finer sushi restaurants (including Oysy) will immediately recognize the flavor of this candy as ume boshi, preserved plum.

The striated outer surface of this morsel suggests that this candy is made of spun sugar. I think it's more likely that it is extruded. Either way, the hard candy shell has a pleasant, not-too-sour plum flavor.

Biting into the candy (the now-familiar ame o kamikudaku test) you will find that it is filled with real salted plum paste. Salty, sour, preserved plum. Mmmm. (As an aside, I don't really understand why this is called "nama ume ame," which I amateurishly translate as "raw plum candy." Anyone?) I recommend sucking it for a little while, then biting in while there's still some candy shell, because the plum paste by itself can be a little overwhelming.

You should try this one. Or maybe not -- this could be a gateway to eating whole ume boshi, and who knows where that could lead?