Eel Drink Goes On Sale For Japan's Hot Summer

by JeffHuang | July 28, 2008 at 03:28 pm

1231 views | 2 Recommendations | 28 comments

I love eel, but an eel drink... I have to think twice about trying this out. From what I know so far, it is yellow and fizzy. I wonder if it is sweet? sour? bitter?

This reminds me of the "birds nest drink" Chinese people drink. For all of you who doesn't know what it is, basically it contains the saliva of swiftlets. It is actually really good and quite expensive. It is considered a rare commodity and very good for the health. I have only had it sweet, but I think it comes in salty flavour as well. You should definitely try it out if you are not yet too freaked out by the idea. It is not mass produced and can be found in Chinese markets. Although mass produced, it is not cheap.

Back to the eel drink, I just hope they modify it enough that we do not smell or taste the fish. Nothing more disgusting than drinking a yellow rotten fish smelling fizzy drink.

It's the hottest season of the year in Japan, and that means it's eel season. So, bottom's up!

A canned drink called "Unagi Nobori," or "Surging Eel," made by Japan Tobacco Inc., hit the nation's stores this month just ahead of Japan's annual eel-eating season, company spokesman Kazunori Hayashi said Monday.

"It's mainly for men who are exhausted by the summer's heat," Hayashi said of the beverage, believed to be the first mass-produced eel drink in Japan.

Many Japanese believe eating eel boosts stamina in hot weather.

The fizzy, yellow-colored drink contains extracts from the head and bones of eel and five vitamins _ A, B1, B2, D and E _ contained in the fish.

The Japanese particularly like to eat eel on traditional eel days, which fall on July 24 and Aug. 5 this year.

Just a side note, after looking at eel pictures, I am not too sure if people would want to try it.

If anyone knows more or has tried the drink, I would like to hear your thoughts.

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azzayindia

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 15:35 on July 28th, 2008

JeffHuang, I like this story. It's good stuff.

Never tried eel do not get it in our parts.

julianw

at 17:28 on July 28th, 2008

Wash one of those down with a Pocari Sweat.

pstarfill

at 22:34 on July 28th, 2008

Well its worth trying this drink though its source is not very attractive

Hans de Bruijn

at 22:37 on July 28th, 2008

Smoked eel, my favorite food. Almost distinct.

Hans de Bruijn has contributed a photo to this story.

nurpax

at 23:17 on July 28th, 2008

Note on the photo: credit should go to Diego Cianis who was operating the camera. Wonderful creatures these eels, anyway :)

criminalvk

at 23:16 on July 28th, 2008

This was actually boxed unagi (eel) sushi from the local supermarket in Seta, Japan. It's a lot better than anything you'd find in the States, though :)

criminalvk has contributed a photo to this story.

ginrickey

at 23:45 on July 28th, 2008

yammy!!

ginrickey has contributed a photo to this story.

johannmourier

at 00:05 on July 29th, 2008

an encounter with a moray eel is always nice. It's a curious animal but very shy that looks like different from it's face look.

johann.mourier has contributed a photo to this story.

red finicky fins

at 03:14 on July 29th, 2008

i'd rather see eels 30m underwater than on a plate of a gluttonous person......

red finicky fins has contributed a photo to this story.

coastmunky

at 03:16 on July 29th, 2008

30 pound King Snake Eel caught off the Mississippi Gulf Coast as a part of the 2008 Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo. Note the tongue on this bad boy.

coastmunky has contributed a photo to this story.

kyleakoch3

at 03:18 on July 29th, 2008

I can't say I'd drink an eel beverage, but I prefer eel sushi over other types of fish. The attached picture is a roll with eel, shrimp tempura, and gold sprinkled on top.

kyleakoch3 has contributed a photo to this story.

amandavisualzen

at 04:18 on July 29th, 2008

Although this is not a photo in Japan the eels pictured here were being farm raised for food.

amandavisualzen has contributed a photo to this story.

irene huang ying

at 05:21 on July 29th, 2008

A species of Garden Eel.

irene huang ying has contributed a photo to this story.

lsglickman1

at 06:02 on July 29th, 2008

The photo was shot July 2008 at Poricy Brook, in Monmouth County, NJ. The American Eel is nearly listed as a threatened species as habitat diminishes. [After watching this "serpent" swim after fish and bury itself in the mud, I can't imagine it made to be a drink! Once plentiful in the Northeast, I hope this crazy craze stays in Japan]

lsglickman1 has contributed a photo to this story.

ricky-camp

at 06:30 on July 29th, 2008

I think that eel's are a great part of the oceans. This one swam over my back and in to the light off the Kona coast one the manta night dive.

Ricky Camp

ricky-camp has contributed a photo to this story.

vilnix

at 08:28 on July 29th, 2008

Well it's good for you... and they probably wouldn't sell it if it tasted really disgusting, so I would try it. I guess if you can eat eel, why wouldn't you be able to drink it?!

nixmix819

at 09:14 on July 29th, 2008

His Name is boogar, he is 5 years old and he is a survivor very very hardy. I remember when I swap my 50 gallons to 75 gallons and my tank was not cycled yet, I lost all my other fish but except boogar. I got it when he was 3 inches. Now he is about 13 inches long!

nixmix819 has contributed a photo to this story.

devfranks

at 10:56 on July 29th, 2008

This is at a street Market in Shanghai, the frog was in the container next to the eels and jumped in with them.

devfranks has contributed a photo to this story.

uw-eric

at 11:12 on July 29th, 2008

Eels used to be quite common in the Netherlands. They can be found in salt and sweet water and eat about everything (especially corpses from fish or other ex-wildlife). Eels are primarely active during the night: the photo was taken during a night dive in the province of Zeeland. This particular eel was quite big: its head (the visible part on the picture) was the size of a tennisball. Eels are considered a delicacy in the Netherlands: smoked and sliced on a piece of toast.

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tkelechogi

at 11:38 on July 29th, 2008

Taken on 20 July 2008 at Black Rock in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii.

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NicoleMarietta

at 15:15 on July 29th, 2008

I am happy to allow my eel picture to be posted on this site. I wouldn't think that an eel drink would be very tasty. I just think that there are so many different things you can use for a drink. Why use eels? It just seems insane to me. But I also wouldn't eat a lot of food that Japan produces.

NicoleMarietta has contributed a photo to this story.

jm_montejo

at 15:56 on July 29th, 2008

I have to admit they look better swimmin' in the sea than smokin' on a plate (or fizzin' in a can for this matter).

jm_montejo has contributed a photo to this story.