food

McDonald’s Japan to sell Anko Pies this autumn

11 Comments
By RocketNews24

As a leading purveyor of fatty fast food, McDonald’s is certain to have its share of detractors. It seems every time we run a story about the golden arches, commenters are all too quick to point out how the fast food restaurant’s offerings tend to be on the less healthy side (to put it diplomatically).

But even among McDonald’s more ardent detractors are those who would admit that its fried apple pies were pretty darn good. It’s perhaps that crowd that a beleaguered McDonald’s Japan is trying to appeal to with their new "anko" bean paste pies.

A familiar taste in Japan, these crispy pocket-sized pie crusts will be stuffed with that sweet "azuki" bean paste known as anko. Anko has a creamy yet natural taste with a mellow sweetness that is firmly present without being overbearing.

These piping hot Anko Pies are hoped to fit right in the rest of the McDonald’s Japan autumn menu including Tsukimi Burgers and Sweet Potato Shakes. Also just like the shakes, these pies will be added to the 100 yen menu.

Anko Pies will be released on Tuesday. If McDonald’s can do with anko what they did with apple back in the day, these should definitely be worth checking out. Even those of you who think McDonald’s is the Great Satan of our times for poisoning our minds and bodies with glutamates might want to lift your embargoes just this once.

Source: McDonald’s via Narinari.com

Read more stories from RocketNews234. -- Tired of apple? McDonald’s Japan now has anko sweet red bean pies -- Japanese sweets lovers soon to be in their blue heaven with beautiful aqua-color Ramune dorayaki -- Limited edition triple-size Lotte pie snack is so popular, we’re unable to get our hands on them!

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11 Comments
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The McDonald's Apple pies are great. I was disappointed they were not on their menu when I visited Japan 10 years ago. I had to cut back on my visits since I retired. But McDonald's is close by and still sells the Apple pies here in the USA.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Should be popular, since it'll probably taste a lot like taiyaki.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

This is a classic rhetorical strategy: to first humble oneself (in this case acknowledging the terrible nutritional/health quality of McD's junk food) and then go on to talk of virtues. The problem here is that if we continue with the theme of health (and not deceptively switch to taste), the fried apple pies or the promoted new “anko” bean paste pies are just mostly fat and even worse, processed sugar or another sweetener. Some researchers are even calling processed sugar a poison looking at how it harms our bodies.

Anko has a creamy yet natural taste with a mellow sweetness that is firmly present without being overbearing.

One has to love the language of the above quote. Can we really believe that these pies actually use the natural taste of anko without any additive? And just how many grams of sugar or high fructose corn syrup provides "mellow sweetness"?

If McDonald’s can do with anko what they did with apple back in the day, these should definitely be worth checking out.

And what did they do with the apple? McD is such a huge buyer when they enter a market that they control the price (and therefore working conditions) and even the number of varieties and shape of the produce. Here is an article that talks about this:

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/mar/23/usa.foodanddrink

So we should ask what will happen to Azuki bean growers and that supply chain and market and if we really want to consume these pies. Why not just enjoy Anpan sold in local shops or, better yet, make your own healthy Anko sweets?

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

I bet these sell well. I'll try one Tuesday. My review will be posted that evening.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Anko Pies with a touch of crushed glass!

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Filth.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Even those of you who think McDonald’s is the Great Satan of our times for poisoning our minds and bodies with glutamates might want to lift your embargoes just this once.

That's one mangled metaphor.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Oh dear our last refuge falls...

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I love anko. Whether its ohagi, anpan, daifuku, doraki etc. While it does have a lot of sugar it has no fat and no dairy products. So it's relatively healthy because the main ingredient is azuki bean.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

You mean unko pies...

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Sorry for the 1-day delay in my review of McD's anko pie...

Not bad! I still prefer the old stand-by apple pie though.

"Filth"

Gosh, Jason, was it that bad? Or you didn't even try it, did you?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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