Long used as a spice in cooking, "shoga" (ginger) is now being added to caramel, cocoa, vegetable juice and "happoshu" beerlike drinks.
Kuracie Foods Ltd., a Tokyo-based sweets and ice cream manufacturer, marketed a new product called Ginger Cube in September. Each pack consists of eight caramel cubes containing condensed ginger extract. People consuming the entire pack ingest 15 grams of ginger, which boosts body warmth, the company claims.
The sugary taste of caramel and the spiciness of ginger blend in the mouth so that even men who are not fond of sweets like the product and do not tire of it, said Minori Tsuda, who is in charge of developing the product.