Pakuchi, called coriander in English, has been enjoying its time in the sun as a trendy ingredient in restaurants and recipes across the country as of late.
If past trends are any indication, and they are, it was only a matter of time before this one crossed over from the nation's television screens and menus to the shelves of its convenience stores, a sure sign that before long it will cede the hip ingredient crown to something new.
It has ever been thus.
Pokka Sapporo's new World Lemonade series is the first to highlight a beverage prominently featuring the popular green plant, casting it as a Thai-style concoction.
The drink (¥140) strikes a nice balance between its citrus and herb flavor components, never letting one side of the equation overpower the other.
This is accomplished, through some kind of dark alchemy of industrial production, by having the coriander flavor provide a refreshing aftertaste following the initial strong rush of lemon flavor.
This makes for a truly great thirst-quencher, and may avoid the fate of so many other novelty drinks that capitalize on fleeting culinary trends.
With the spring weather comes a promise of warmer days, and this drink could be an ideal go-to at the konbini — let's just hope it lasts long enough to help us ease into summer.
