Love mayo and can’t get enough of it? You might be interested in the latest food that’s made its way to Japan’s convenience stores – drinkable mayonnaise.
Convenience store chain Lawson launched Nomu mayo, or drinkable mayonnaise which comes packed in a sleek, upmarket cup adorned with a whimsical squeeze bottle illustration typical of Japanese convenience store drinks, and is priced at ¥198 (£1.04) for 200ml of what Lawson describes as “the chilled drink mayo fanatics have long been waiting for”, according to Sora News24.
Mayo is used heavily in sandwiches and pizzas in the country, but traditional Japanese food like sushi and onigiri (rice balls) also use them.
The only catch for pedantic mayonnaise lovers is that the label clarifies that Nomu mayo is a “mayonnaise-style drink” and “not mayonnaise”.
Currently in a “test sale period”, it still remains to be seen if Nomu mayo actually appeals to Japanese customers, who are used to the thicker and richer taste of Japanese mayo, as opposed to more Western varieties.
Reviews on social media suggest it tastes exactly like mayonnaise, and Gigazine’s review clarified that it has “foods whose main ingredient is milk, mayonnaise-flavored seasoning”, and “processed whole eggs”.
“Drinkable mayo?! It’s unbelievably bad! Avoid at all costs! No true mayo lover would enjoy this! Why the heck did they make this???” posted one customer on X.
“I don’t mind mayonnaise but this is a step too far. Necessity is not always the mother of invention,” posted another.
A customer who tried it posted a review on Reddit, writing: “I just tried it and it’s awful, just like you’d expect. Liquid mayo, salty, mayo-y, maybe a bit dilly? Not sure about the last one, but I couldn’t handle more than one sip.”
Another posted on Reddit: “As much as I cringeingly love Japanese mayo…. This made me gag just thinking of it.”
Convenience stores in Japan, known as konbini, are almost an institution unto themselves, selling not just a wide range of food, beverages, daily groceries, but also function as multi-purpose terminals for tickets and other services.
It is not uncommon to see tourists inside Japanese convenience stores posing for photos in front of the neatly lined stacks of instant ramen and onigiri, and many people know the iconic Lawson’s konbini in front of Mount Fuji that influencers love.
With over 56,000 konbini spread across Japan, the different chains are in near-constant competition to woo customers by trying to maintain a diverse and creative inventory.
