Malacca is not just famous for historical elements but also for chicken rice balls which many Malaysians spend hours lining up for. Well, if you’re tired of chicken rice balls, here’s something from the bizarre mind of the Japanese that might fascinate you.
Look no further than armpit sweat-infused rice balls. If this was available in Malaysia, we were inevitably going to hear “Ketiak Rice Ball satu (1 armpit rice ball)! Yes, this is the time when you should take things literally. The rice ball is knead by armpit but there’s a main ingredient that shall not be skipped.
The onigiri snack is only prepared by cute, young women.
What about hygiene? Will it make you feel better to know that the ingredients and relevant body parts are ALL DISINFECTED before they make the snack? According to the South China Morning Post, after the disinfection process, here comes the important part that defines the armpit rice balls.
The young women will exercise to produce sweat and use their armpits to shape the rice balls. Yes, armpit, not hands.
The snack is sold at restaurants at high prices – 10 times the regular price of the usual rice balls. Some of those who have tried the armpit rice balls claimed that they tasted no different than the ones with the original flavor.
Some of us might just heard of it but the armpit rice balls have been around since 2016. In the meantime, some anime fans also claimed the snack was inspired by a Manga series – Magical Circle Guru Guru. A particular scene depicted an old man who helped the protagonist in making some quick cash by selling rice balls shaped with his armpit.
The scene was so popular that it spawned some fan art, which you can go through here.
A study from 2013 also found that sweat from that area of the body contains a specific pheromone that can improve human emotions when smelled or licked.
Well, the next time you have an onigiri or rice balls, if it tastes different, the vendor has probably learned a trick or two from this bizarre snack.
Also read: Kopitiam Owner in Ipoh Made RM1.3 MILLION in 2023, Says Food Business Can Be as Good as in KL
