The world of Japanese snacks is full of variety and (usually) tastes amazing, and among the tasty options out there, our favorite are the chocolate treats. Of Japan’s chocolate treats, only a handful of them have reached international fame. One such famous treat is the renowned chocolate-on-a-stick—Pocky!
Today, we’re doing a quick dive into the world of one of Japan’s most famous treats, featured in anime, sold in grocery stores worldwide and beloved by many. Read on to learn about how Pocky came about, its Japanese flavors and a bit of its cultural relevancy!
What is Pocky?
While we're sure you know about this iconic snack, we're still happy to give you a quick bit of info about it! Image via Instagram (@kodomonomikata)
Pocky is a biscuit stick coated in chocolate with just enough biscuit exposed to avoid getting the fingers sticky or covered in chocolate. It was invented by Yoshiaki Koma and sold by Glico starting in 1966. It’s said that Glico was looking to make a chocolate-covered item that wouldn’t get the hands messy and was inspired by the Osaka kushikatsu (fried skewers) for the easy-to-hold design!
It got its name from the Japanese onomatopoeia pokkin, which represents the satisfying crunch of this snack being cracked in half. However, it was initially released in several Osaka candy stores under the name “Chocotekku” which is kind of a portmanteau of a longer Japanese phrase meaning “a chocolate snack (choco) that you can enjoy while walking steadily (tekuteku)”.
“Chokotekku” was actually really popular, but the name was already taken by another company, so we got “Pocky” instead.
First, Pocky’s delicious taste is what helped it get to the top of the industry, but it has stayed relevant with its range of delicious flavors, popularity among young people and its cultural relevance in the form of Pocky Day and the Pocky Game.
Pocky in Other Countries
You may know this chocolate-covered biscuit stick under a different name, with Europe getting this version! Image via Instagram (@minimini_ym)
From Japan, this chocolate treat spread all over the world, being distributed by Glico themselves in most places. However, Europe enjoys these treats under a different name—Mikado—due to its similarity to the sticks used in the game of the same name. Pocky was licensed by Mondelez International and released as Mikado across Europe!
Meanwhile, in Malaysia, this treat was released as “Rocky” because “Pocky” was too similar to “porky”, which is not great for a country with a high Muslim population. It was only switched back in 2014 alongside a fun redesign.
Fun Fact: The name doesn’t just change from country to country. In some countries, the recipe changes as well. For example, countries much warmer than Japan tend to get a less sweet version that uses chocolate with a higher melting point. Meanwhile, parts of Europe get chocolate made with 100% cacao.
Pocky Flavors
Staple Flavors
Of course, the limited-edition flavors are great, but the staple flavors are both a tasty and reliable option for any time of year. Image via Instagram (@_hidapi_32)
The original was a simple chocolate-covered stick but was followed up by an almond covered version five years later and a strawberry chocolate-coated one six years after that. From then on, tons of flavors have come out over the years.
Nowadays, on top of the standard chocolate flavor, you can also find boxes of Cacao 60% and both a giant and an Ultra-Thin version of Pocky. You can also often find Almond Crush, which features crushed almonds in the chocolate, and Crushed Strawberry, which includes freeze-dried strawberries and a strawberry juice-infused strawberry cream.
Those are the standard box flavors, but you can also get three more flavors in larger bags. They have a more standard strawberry flavor alongside the standard chocolate in larger packs, but they also have two premium options in their Zeitaku (luxury) line.
One is a richer Milk Chocolat flavor with a more buttery biscuit. However, our favorite is the Almond Milk chocolate flavor that is such a great treat!
The Fancy Pocky
These next two flavors have a more complex, mature flavor profile that pair perfectly with an alcoholic beverage. Image via Instagram (@hiroyukiokamoto50)
There is also a high-class souvenir line that can be found at certain shops called Otona no Pocky (or Adult’s Pocky). In this line, you can find two different alcohol-inspired flavors—Otona no Kohaku and Megami no Ruby.
Otona no Kohaku (Adult’s Amber) is made to be enjoyed with whiskey and has a thicker, malt extract-infused biscuit and bitter chocolate. Megami no Ruby (Goddess’s Ruby) pairs well with red wine with its biscuit that has accents of cheese, pepper and clove along with the chocolate infused with three different berries.
Regional “Hometown” Pocky
The Hometown series is great for sharing a taste of Japan's prefectures with people in one tasty and easy to enjoy snack. Image via Instagram (@saki.whitesnow)
Much like Japanese Kit Kat’s Gotouchi series, Pocky has a regional Hometown (Jimoto) series of its own. This series features eight different varieties that representative each region’s iconic flavors.
For northern Japan, we have Hokkaido’s Yubari Melon and Tohoku region’s Satou Nishiki cherries from Yamagata. East Japan is represented by the Tokyo Amazake (a sweet, cloudy sake), Shinshu Kyoho Grapes from Nagano and Goroujima Kintoki sweet potatoes from Ishikawa.
Western Japan shows off with Kyoto’s Uji Matcha and Ehime’s Iyokan Oranges. Last, Southern Japan is represented by Fukuoka’s iconic Amaou Strawberry.
Limited-Edition Flavors
The only downside to these limited-time flavors is that, no matter how good it tastes, it goes back into the vault and may never come back! Image via Instagram (@rbkun_yukana_honjyou)
Like we say all the time, Japan loves their limited-edition flavors, so of course Pocky has to get in on the fun. Each season sees new and delicious flavors released to match whatever people are eating or drinking at the time. While there are too many to talk about here, we’ll take a quick look at some of our favorite seasonal flavors!
For example, Pocky just released two flavors—Choco Mint, a popular summer ice cream flavor here, and Rich Elegant Matcha, which is double dipped for even more chocolate! And the winter holiday season saw richer chocolate, a double-dipped vanilla white chocolate and salted caramel flavors. Summer also sees a delicious blueberry flavor every year that we love!
Pocky Day
This chocolate stick-inspired day is a great chance to get a chocolate haul whether it's for yourself or your friends. Image via Instagram (@pocky_jp)
Like we mentioned earlier, Pocky has done a great job of staying culturally relevant. One way they’ve done so is with the creation of “Pocky Day”. Pocky Day isn’t a real holiday but has been taking place on November 11 since 1999. This day is celebrated by the company with various campaigns for their customers as a kind of appreciation gift!
November 11 is the date because it looks like a bunch of sticks when you write it out (11/11). When using the Japanese era system for the years, 1999 was Heisei era Year 11, so the first Pocky Day was 11/11/11. According to Glico's official website, this felt like the perfect day to start celebrating their product!
Technically, the official name is “Pocky & Pretz Day”, but Pretz is not as remembered as their chocolate-covered sibling.
What is the Pocky Game?
The Pocky Game is best played with the standard Pocky since you may not want to share one of the limited-edition ones. Image via Instagram (@yossiein)
Another way that these chocolate-covered sticks have stayed relevant is thanks to the Pocky Game. This is a party game that somewhat fell out of style during and after the pandemic but is still quite well-known among young people.
This game is kind of like a game of “chicken”, where a single Pocky stick is held in the mouths of two people—one at each end. They then bite their way forward. The first to pull away is the loser. However, if they both meet in the middle and kiss, then it’s just a tie.
There is a variation of the game where, instead of biting forward, they just snap it in half (still with their mouths). In this case, the winner is the person with the longer half of the stick!
You can also play it in a group. One version involves a pair closing your eyes and nibbling down on the stick for a certain amount of time. The pair with the shortest stick or the pair that kisses first wins, but if you break it, your pair loses.
While this can be plenty of fun for a drinking party among young people, it’s easy to see why it kind of fizzled out with COVID.
With the wide range of flavors, a Pocky gift box, like this one from the Rihga Royal Hotel in Kyoto, is a perfect present for those with a sweet tooth. Image via Instagram (@righaroyalhotelkyoto)
Pocky truly is an iconic treat and one of the treats that we always enjoy. From the classic chocolate to their unique seasonal flavors, this is one amazing Japanese snack that we hope you enjoy too!
And let us know if you want to try any of the limited-edition seasonal flavors and we can stock it for you!
