Delicious or disgusting? 6 of the weirdest matcha-flavoured foods, from burgers to ramen – washed down with matcha cola
A healthy eating craze for powdered green tea-infused foods has seen bright green matcha-flavoured burgers, curry, hotpot, pasta and even beer – would you try any of it?
The world has officially gone mad for matcha, the finely-ground green tea leaf powder.
If you are a self-proclaimed matcha lover, either because of its well-documented health benefits or its addictively bitter, delicately sweet flavour, you have likely tried the most common matcha derivatives.
But how much do you really long for this tantalising, tannin-teeming plant? Nibbling on a matcha mochi right now, you say? How cute. Have a stash of those matcha Kit Kats in your pantry which were souvenirs your colleague brought back from Kyoto? Adorable. Your Starbucks order is a venti matcha green tea crème frappuccino? Oh boy.
We hate to break it to you, but these are small potatoes in the world of hard core matcha-munching.
Here are six matcha-infused dishes that test the limits of your matcha madness. Proving that green tea is loved by people the world over, our list spans the region. If you find yourself in one of these cities, do you think you’d try the following strange – but delightful – matcha offerings?
Matcha gyoza
Let us embark on this matcha trail from Uji, Kyoto, where master-grade matcha hails from. Superior gyokuro tea leaves are ground here to create the matcha, and it is perhaps no wonder that matcha-infused dishes are also offered in the small Japanese city.
If you find yourself in Uji, sample the Uji matcha gyoza like a diehard fan. The dumplings reportedly taste similar to normal gyoza but with a slight bitterness from the tea powder. Instead of a dipping sauce, the emerald dumplings are served with matcha salt.
Where you can find it: 田中九商店, Kyoto