Instagrammable cultural festival foods: featuring trendy sweets and Korean eats

Taiwanese drink! Douhua

Do you know douhua? It’s written with the characters for “tofu flower” and pronounced “doufa.” Recently, specialty shops have opened, and it’s been appearing more often on trendy café menus.

Douhua is a traditional Taiwanese dessert—think something like tofu or almond jelly.

It’s cold and refreshing, and it’s sure to be a hit at a hot-day school festival.

It hasn’t gone fully mainstream yet, but it’s definitely a hot topic, and I bet many people are curious about it.

You can serve it in a bowl like ice cream, or in a cup like a bubble tea—there are tons of ways to customize it!

A drink with amber sugar and cotton candy

Do you know the Japanese confection called kohakutou (amber sugar)? If you like traditional sweets, you’ve probably tried it at least once.

It’s a simple, old-fashioned treat made by dissolving sugar and food coloring into agar.

If you increase the agar and make it softer like yokan, it becomes a sweet called kohakukan.

Kinda makes you crave some, doesn’t it? How about offering a colorful drink that uses kohakutou? Combine it with colored ice or jelly to boost the visual appeal! It’s sure to catch everyone’s eye.

And make good use of the effect of dissolving cotton candy, too!

chai tea

A blissful moment: I indulged in my beloved chai. #Talkwith_ #Chai #NAGAYArt

A stylish chai tea with a special feel would probably be popular if you sold it at a school festival booth.

If you want to set up a booth at the festival, let’s discuss and decide on things like the menu, toppings, and whether to offer iced or hot versions as we plan.

It might also help the service run smoothly on the day if you decide in advance which spices to use for the chai.

Offering sweetness levels—less sweet, regular, or sweeter—could make it easier for customers to choose.

Recommended toppings include cinnamon powder, chocolate sauce, and whipped cream!

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mayumi

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fried ice cream

Crispy outside, cool inside! Tempura ice cream

Fried ice cream is one of the most popular sweets at school festivals! The crispy, warm coating paired with the melty, cold ice cream creates an indescribably delicious treat.

The typical method might be to wrap ice cream in a dough, freeze it, then batter and fry it.

But that can be a lot of prep work.

That’s why an easy recipe I recommend is to coat store-bought cream puff ice cream with batter and fry it.

Finish with a drizzle of chocolate sauce or a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar, and it’s ready to serve.

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Hane Keisuke

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Fruit Punch Cider

How to Make Fruit Punch / Refreshing with Soda!! Easy Dessert Recipe

Cool-looking and colorful! Here are some ideas for fruit punch with soda.

How about serving fruit punch made with a variety of cut fruits, customized with fizzy, popping soda? At a school festival, a refreshing fruit punch is sure to be a hit with visitors! The combination of colorful cut fruits and sparkling, refreshing soda will be enjoyable both to look at and to taste.

Try setting up tables and chairs in the classroom to serve it.

Ice tongue flu

Let’s make tanghulu, a hugely popular treat in Korea! Here are some ideas for ice tanghulu.

Tanghulu is a Korean-origin dessert where seasonal fruits like strawberries and grapes are coated in a thin layer of candy.

This time, let’s try making an icy version by dipping them in ice water.

All you need are frozen fruits, lollipop sticks, and ice water.

Since this recipe doesn’t use candy syrup, it’s easy to try.

The round, plump look of the fruits is adorable, too.

Tornado Sausage

Furukawa City Navel Park specialty: Tornado Sausage

With its striking appearance, you’ll want to share it on Instagram right away! Here’s an idea for tornado sausages.

The spiral look made by winding a long, thin sausage is eye-catching, isn’t it? The simple process is appealing too—just skewer the spiral sausage and heat it, and it’s done.

Adding torched cheese as a topping is also a great option.

When handing them out to visitors, placing them in plastic containers is recommended so they’re easy to eat on the go!