Pocky
Pocky is a Japanese sweet snack food produced by the Ezaki Glico food company. Pocky was first sold in 1966. It consists of coated biscuit sticks. It was named after the Japanese onomatopoeic word pokkiri, which is supposed to resemble the sound of the snack being cracked.
The original chocolate-coated Pocky was followed by an almond-coated variant in 1971, and a strawberry coating in 1977. Today, the product line includes variations in the flavored coatings, such as milk, mousse, matcha, honey, banana, cookies and cream, strawberry and coconut, and themed products such as "Decorer Pocky", with colorful decorative stripes in the coating, and "Men's Pocky", a mature dark chocolate version.
Flavors and variations
Pocky can be found in dozens of varieties such as chocolate, strawberry, and almond. Some of the more unusual flavors include the seasonal flavors of honey and kiwifruit mango. The bittersweet version of chocolate Pocky is known as Men's Pocky. Regional flavors of Pocky include grape, yūbari melon, giant mikan, powdered tea azuki bean, Kobe wine, and five-fusion berry. Also, flavors such as banana, lychee, coffee, caramel, marble royal milk tea, melon, Daim bar, milk, honey and milk, cream cheese, berry, sweet potato, coconut, crush, corn on the cob, pineapple, pumpkin, kurogoma, kinako, Brazilian pudding, cherry, tomato, orange, mikan, blueberry, apple yogurt, hazelnut, mixed berry and green tea are available.Other variations include Pocky G, Giant Pocky, Giant Dream Pocky, Sakura Pocky, Reverse Pocky, Fortune-Telling Pocky, and Pocky Cake.
Pretz, also made by Ezaki Glico, is an unglazed version of Pocky, featuring flavors like tomato, pizza, and salad, as well as sweet flavors such as cocoa and French toast.
World distribution
Pocky is a very popular treat in Japan, especially among teenagers. In bars, it is sometimes served with a glass of ice water or milk.It also has a significant presence in other Asian countries, such as China, South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, India, Burma, Brunei and Vietnam. In Malaysia, Pocky was sold under the name "Rocky" for five decades. It was rebranded under the name "Pocky" in 2014, along with a new package design and slogan. Commercials featuring Malaysian singer Yuna, also began to air in 2015 in order to give brand recognition and a sales boost.
In Europe, Pocky is produced under license by Mondelēz International and sold under the name "Mikado" in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Ireland, Luxembourg, Spain, Switzerland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. "Mikado" can be found at most supermarkets and many international food stores. The name comes from the game of the same name. It is played with thin & long sticks, hence the name. In Turkey, Pocky is produced by Ülker and Şölen, under Biskrem Bi'stik and Biscolata Stix name.
In the United States and Canada, Pocky can be found in Asian supermarkets and the international section of most large supermarkets; such retailers include World Market, H-E-B, Wegmans, Kroger, Jungle Jim's International Market, Costco, Walmart, some Target stores, some Walgreens, Meijer, Fiesta, Barnes & Noble, and anime convention dealers' rooms. In the United States, Pocky is marketed both by LU, and by Ezaki Glico's American division, Ezaki Glico USA Corporation.
In Australia and New Zealand, it is usually sold in Asian convenience markets, along with other Asian foods and products. Like the United States and Canada these are also widely available in the international sections on the Asian food aisles of most supermarket chains. Specialty importers also exist in Australia and New Zealand.
In 2020, Pocky was certified by Guinness World Records as the "largest chocolate-coated biscuit brand" after hitting over 500 million dollars in sales in the past year.