15 Best Japanese Otsumami Snacks to Pair with Beer and Alcohol

Japanese cuisine is noted for its various specialized food groupings. Once you become familiar with these, navigating a menu becomes a lot easier. The osusume (recommendation) section of a menu, for example, highlights seasonal specials and house favorites. Sometimes, foods are listed by cooking method, as in agemono (deep-fried foods) or yakimono (grilled foods).

Probably, one word many people are familiar with is otsumami (snack or finger food). Otsumami are more than just Japanese snacks or starters, they’re a specialized category of foods that go well with typically beer, sake, or shochu. Find out more, what the most popular ones are, and how to pair otsumami snacks with beer and Japanese alcohols.

What Exactly is Otsumami? 

The meaning of otsumami is not entirely cut and dried.

The gist is that of a light snack or a tasty side that goes well with alcohol. To be true to its semantic origin, the meaning of otsumami derives from the verb tsumu meaning to pluck, to pick, or to pinch. From this, we can understand that o-tsumami was originally a type of finger food, but also includes foods you can easily grab a hold of with chopsticks.

This differentiates otsumami from the similar and more traditional sakana or any type of food that pairs well with particularly Japanese sake, or other alcoholic beverages. Otsumami can be the entire course of a home drinking party, a casual bar menu, or light starters you can order at a Japanese pub or izakaya.

You can make your own otsumami at home, but others conveniently come as ready-made snacks. Although there are different ideas and opinions on otsumami, here we stick to the best otsumami snacks that you don’t have to mess around with, meaning the ones that won’t turn your (wild) drinking party into a clean-up party! 

Otsumami Snacks to Enjoy with Beer and Alcohol

Otsumami comes in a wide variety of foods, including original creations. Here we preview 15 of the most popular otsumami to enjoy as beer snacks or with Japanese alcohol. We also include the words in Japanese script so you can easily recognize them, even on your snack packages!

Many otsumami sacks suit vegetarians, and rice-based ones are gluten-free. We list these first (1-7), followed by seafood specialties (8-12), and finally chicken favorites (13-15): 

1. Edamame (Japanese Soybeans)

Edamame are soybeans that are picked while still green. ‘Eda’ means branch or stem, while ‘mame’ is a bean. They are usually boiled in their pods and served lightly salted.

Dry-roasted edamame are equally popular and include flavors such as garlic, wasabi, and chili pepper. Edamame are nutritious, being rich in protein, fiber, and vitamins.

2. Senbei (Japanese Rice Crackers)

Senbei is a general term for any kind of Japanese rice cracker. Senbei are made from steamed rice, which is then pounded into a dough-like form and dried.

There’s a wide variety of senbei to choose from, with many prized, regional specialties. They can be sweet or salty, soy-sauce flavor, wrapped in nori, and include seafood flavors like shrimp, squid, crab, or spicy cod roe (mentaiko).

3. Kaki-No-Tane (Persimmon Seed-Shaped Rice Crackers)

Kaki-no-tane are also made from rice dough and have a crescent shape which resembles the dried seed (tane) of a persimmon (kaki). They are usually salty or soy-flavored, while some are spicy or wasabi flavored.

Kaki-no-tane fall into the category of similar small-sized arare rice crackers. 

4. Kimchi (Korean Fermented Vegetables)

The spiciness of kimchi is one reason why it is loved as a beer snack. Although typically made from napa or ‘hakusai’ cabbage leaves, other common varieties include white ‘daikon’ radish and cucumber.

You can also easily make kimchi at home, if you'd like!

5. Potato Mochi (Rice Cake)

Potato mochi adds potato starch (gluten-free) to mashed potato to get the chewiness of glutinous rice mochi. Usually pan fried, potato mochi are often glazed with a savory sweet soy sauce and one side wrapped with a little nori. Some recipes like to add cheese, and you can also stick them on a finger-friendly skewer.

6. Fried Cheese Stick 

Any kind of deep-fried cheese generally goes by the Japanese name ‘cheese fry’. ‘Cheese stick’, however, refers more to harumaki (small cheese spring rolls). If you don’t have rice paper wraps, you can simply use a batter or even a pastry strip.

Mozzarella or Camembert are the usual choices, and a cucumber strip popped inside makes for the perfect beer snack.

7. French Fries  

If you ask for French fries in Japan, you’re likely to get a blank stare. The thing to say is ‘potato fry’. Popular izakaya restaurants can often surprise with their innovative take on this finger food essential.

Japanese ‘potato fry’ can range from fat and juicy to thin and crispy with flavors including nori, chili, garlic, and cheese. 

8. Ika Geso (Fried or Grilled Squid Tentacles)

Ika geso are squid tentacles that are usually grilled or pan fried in various ways. Sometimes they are lightly battered and deep-fried as a kara-age for a crispier texture. The ready-to-eat dried variety makes the perfect otsumami snack.

9. Ika Ichiyaboshi (Semi-Dried Squid) 

Ika ichiyaboshi is, as the name implies, partially dried or ‘squid dried overnight’. It is flavorful and somewhat sweet, with a delicate texture. It is often lightly grilled and served with mayonnaise and chilly pepper as a condiment. 

10. Surume (Dried Squid)

Surume is Japan’s most popular version of dried squid. The best surume is said to come from Hokkaido because of the cold water and fat content of the squid. Dried squid is quite versatile. You can add surume to Japanese tsukemono or pickles, to stir fries, stewed preparations, and it makes great tempura too.

11. Eihire (Dried Stingray Fins) 

Eihire are the dried out fins of a sting ray cut into small pieces. They are quite popular in Hokkaido. Like ika ichiyaboshi, they are sweet but with a more chewy texture and can be served in much the same way. 

12. Dried Fish & Nuts 

Nuts with small, dried sardine or anchovy fish are another popular otsumami beer snack. Usually the nuts are slivered almonds, thus bearing the name ‘almond fish’. The mixed nut version is also popular, and both types are favored for their high calcium content. They have a sweet and savory taste. 

13. Yakitori (Grilled Chicken Skewers)

Yakitori, or grilled chicken skewers, has a varied menu. For an otsumami snack, negima chicken skewers are a popular yakitori to make at home. These are bite-sized chunks of chicken thigh marinated and skewered between slices of negi or green onion. Many people like to add additional flavor with a yakitori sauce.

14. Tebasaki (Japanese Chicken Wings)

Tebasaki are chicken wings cooked Japanese style, and you can easily make tebasaki at home as part of a snack menu. After pan frying, the chicken wings are usually coated in a soy-sauce glaze with a sprinkling of sesame seeds. Nagoya style tebasaki, using the spicy addition of ginger and garlic, are the most popular in Japan.

15. Nankotsu (Chicken Cartilage Skewers)

Nankotsu, a category of yakitori loved for its crunchy texture, is cartilage taken mainly from the knee joint. The key flavor is in the type of seasoning or batter that you use, and spicy nankotsu tend to make the best beer snacks.

Pairing Otsumami With Alcoholic Drinks

What type of alcohol to drink can be a personal choice, but there’s a lot to be said about basic, simple pairing. 

Beer

Beer often goes best with spicy, smoked, rich, and salty foods. Its bitterness tends to balance these flavors and refreshes the palate. Almost all otsumami snacks will pair well with beer. For a more authentic otsumami experience, you may want to choose a favorite Japanese beer brand! 

Sake

For sake pairing, a light and dry junmai sake is a good choice for a wide range of foods. Junmai sake tends to accentuate umami flavors, and complements salty and grilled foods well. If you’re using a sweetish yakitori sauce, you could try a honjozo, which would also complement lighter vegetable dishes. For delicate flavors, steamed squid, sashimi, or white fish, a finer junmai ginjo or a fruitier ginjo is recommended.

Shochu

When it comes to shochu, a kome or rice shochu goes well with rice, vegetables, and lightly fried foods. A kome shochu also complements the lighter and sweeter flavors of dried seafoods. For grilled snacks like squid, you could choose between a mugi (barley) or a kome (rice). For lean meats like chicken, a mugi or kokuto shucho (brown sugar) are generally favored.

Japanese Beer Snacks You Can Buy Online

Otsumami snacks are great to have on hand for relaxing with a drink, when a friend pops around, or as easy go-to-options for a house party. 

One of the best snacks for your cupboard is a nice selection of senbei, a choice of edamame, and then there are various dried seafood-based snacks. 

A unique and interesting otsumami snack is freeze-dried natto beans which you can eat as they are, or add to various dishes. Nothing says, ‘I love Japan’ like, ‘I love natto!’

Here are some of our other top picks:

• Potato flour bites flavored with edamame
• Dry-roasted edamame
• Soy sauce flavored onigiri senbei
• Spicy mentaiko cod-roe senbei
• Spicy batter-fried squid
• Dried fish with mixed nuts
• Dried geso squid tentacles

Some Food for Thought

There may be different ideas on ‘otsumami’ and what the best beer snacks are in Japan, but we would love to hear your thoughts. Let us know what your favorite Japanese alcohol snacks are. Some snacks are quite unique, especially for people who have never traveled to Asia or Japan. Try a few out and drop us a line!