unagi pie

unagi pie.

shizuoka's greatest gift to the japanese omiyage business.

that's two japanese words now i've used without explaining, so i guess 

unagi 【うなぎ】 eel.

omiyage 【お土産】 souvenir (it can take on a variety of meanings, but for now, souvenir)

the omiyage business is booming, and while new omiyage are born everyday, only a few remain legends, standards of the industry.

unagi pie is one of them.

...so, what exactly IS unagi pie? 

do they bake eel into a pie? is the eel wrapped in pie dough?

is it savoury? is it sweet?

the answer is sweet.

unagi is one of the most interesting concepts for foodstuff.

someone in shizuoka prefecture thought hey! why not combine eel and sugar and butter together to make a delicious, crispy mille-feuille snack? and let's add garlic too! and thus, unagi pie was born. though it doesn't taste like eel (in fact, you'd never know unless someone told you), it is addictive-ly delicious and a standard omiyage to bring back to friends, family, and coworkers.

i generally get a box once or twice a year from a regular shizuokan customer. this time he brought me unagi pie VSOP, which is their premium line made with macadamia nuts and VSOP brandy -- yum! and take a look at this fancy GOLDEN package. 

CLASSY.

here's what's inside.

and what's inside again!

layers of crispy, buttery, sugary, brandy-y pie...sprinkled with unagi and macadamia nuts!

the brandy definitely stands out, giving your tongue a buzz before the butter and sugar hit. and you can easily eat like...6 or 7 before realizing OMG I JUST ATE 6 OR 7.

so if you're ever planning on living in japan, you can be sure that at some point you'll be given these tasty little suckers by someone you know. and if you're planning on visiting shizuoka, definitely pick yourself up a case or two to bring back, because sharing is caring.

...or because hoarding them all for yourself is fun too!