[You can now read this article in Bahasa Indonesia here!]
Just last week, we published an article on the Muslim-friendly status of Tokyo Banana and the response was amazing ?
[P.S. Plan your Japan trip with this 7D6N Muslim-friendly Tokyo-Osaka-Kyoto itinerary!]
Credit: Giphy
It seems that many of you are heading to Japan soon or planning your trip for the months to come and we're glad that you've found our guides helpful! So, this week, we've decided to do a guide on yet another popular Japanese snack - Royce' Chocolates!
We know how you feel, there are so many Royce' Chocolate items in Japanese souvenir shops and sometimes it's overwhelming to have to read the ingredients for all the items before deciding if you should purchase them. Well, don't worry, our guide is here to help you out ?
What is Royce'?
Royce' is a chocolate maker and confectioner based in Hokkaido, Japan. Anyone who's tasted these gems would tell you that they are super delicious and they really melt in your mouth. Their chocolates are made using some of Hokkaido's most high-quality ingredients like their fresh cream. One of their most popular items is the Nama Chocolate and when you purchase them from any Japanese airport before heading home, they'd usually pack the chocolates in an ice pack to ensure that it's kept fresh and cold. (We'll be talking about the halal status of Nama Chocolates below!) You might have seen a Royce' shop near you as it has outlets in Singapore and Malaysia too.
Are Royce' Chocolates halal?
According to Royce's website FAQ section, their chocolates aren't officially halal-certified as some of their products contain liquor. But other than those products (which we'll elaborate more on in this article), the majority of their products are liquor-free and gelatine-free, made only using plant-based ingredients. There are also seasonal products that contain liquor so it's always best to check with the staff before you purchase any of the products!
[P.S. Travelling to Tokyo? Make sure you check out our ultimate list of halal Japanese food in Tokyo!]
Here’s a list of products that contain alcohol or gelatine (complete with pictures!):
P.S. Scroll down for a list of Muslim-friendly products!
1. Nama Chocolate (Au Lait)
Credit: Tran Hang on Facebook
2. Nama Chocolate (Champagne Pierre Mignon)
Credit: @hilaryanina on Instagram
3. Nama Chocolate (Bitter)
Credit: Royce' Chocolate Thailand on Facebook
4. Nama Chocolate (White)
Credit: @daisydutyfree on Instagram
5. Nama Chocolate (Maccha)
Credit: @yabe_weng on Instagram
6. Petite Truffe (Orange)
Credit: ROYCE' Chocolate USA on Facebook
7. Petite Truffe (Kirsch)
Credit: ROYCE' Chocolate USA on Facebook
8. Petite Truffe (Maccha)
Credit: Gene Gingatake on Facebook
9. Marshmallow Chocolate (Milk Coffee) & Marshmallow Chocolate (White)
Credit: Kanomyeepun on Facebook
10. Chocolate Bar (Rum Raisin)
Credit: Royce' Chocolate Singapore on Facebook
Muslim-friendly products
The following products are alcohol and gelatine-free and we’ve checked to the best of our ability that they don’t contain any animal derivatives. The emulsifiers in the products listed below are also soy-based. But as they are not officially halal-certified, we advise you to buy them at your own discretion!
Disclaimer: Do note that we are not a certifying body and that the information we have derived is from checking the ingredients on Royce's official website and from multiple sources online.
P.S. You can also head over to the list of products on Royce' Singapore's official website. Hover over the "Nutrition Facts" to read the ingredients for each product.
1. Nama Chocolate (Mild Cacao)
Credit: Unique - U.S.A. Collection on Facebook
While Royce' is typically known for the liquor Nama chocolates, the non-liquor ones have that same rich and melt-in-your-mouth sensation too. Indulge in the flavour and aroma of cacao as you bite into these delectable Mild Cacao chocolates ?
P.S. Look out for the "Liquor Free" label on the chocolates!
2. Nama Chocolate (Mild Milk)
Credit: Onthego on Facebook
This one's for the milk chocolate lovers! Fresh cream is blended into milk chocolate giving it its rich and velvety texture, but yet isn't too overwhelming. This is one treat that's bound to delight your taste buds.
3. Nama Chocolate (Mild White)
Credit: @nyonya55 on Instagram
If you're a fan of white chocolate, then Royce's Mild White is not to be missed. Similar to the way Mild Milk is made, fresh cream is blended into white chocolate, giving off the same rich texture.
4. Nama Chocolate (Ghana Bitter)
Credit: Muop's House on Facebook
This one's special because it consists of the Ghanaian cacao which has a strong flavour and aroma, and it's mixed with fresh Hokkaido cream. You can expect a bittersweet aftertaste too, perfect for all you dark chocolate lovers!
5. Nama Chocolate (Ecuador Sweet)
Credit: @k_ajay on Instagram
If you're more of a sweet chocolate kind of person, then the Ecuador Sweet is probably more for you. The chocolate uses the Ecuadorian cacao bean, known for its fragrance and flavour. The fragrant beans, mixed with sweet chocolate and Hokkaido cream will definitely leave you wanting more.
6. Potatochip Chocolate products
Credit: @an_yujinee on Instagram
It's hard not to love both chocolates and potato chips and Royce lets you savour the best of both worlds with their Potatochip Chocolate. This unique combination is a popular snack in Japan and it's not hard to see why! Have these delectable treats in different flavours - original, caramel, white chocolate and mild bitter.
P.S. There's another flavour called Fromage Blanc in which the potato chips are coated with cheese-flavoured white chocolate. But as we are unable to verify the source of cheese for Fromage Blanc, we advise you to purchase that at your own discretion.
7. Pure Chocolate products
Credit: @story_porny on Instagram
Here's another snack that's popular with both travellers and locals. Crunchy with a perfect texture and just the right amount of chocolate, Royce' Pure Chocolate's smooth texture makes it really easy to eat! It comes in 10 different varieties with different percentages of cacao in each of them. What's great is that they are individually wrapped so you can easily share them with loved ones ?
8. Chocolate Bar (except Rum Raisin)
Credit: @japanbackyardsale on Instagram
Feeling nostalgic and prefer the good 'ol chocolate bars instead? Then make sure you get the Royce' Chocolate Bars! Did you know the chocolate bar is the first product of Royce'? Choose from varying degrees of cacao and chocolate flavours from milk to almond, black, white and even almond bitter.
P.S. Do note that the Chocolate Bar (Rum Raisin) contains liquor!
9. Bar Chocolate
Credit: @choaehyun83 on Instagram
Don't confuse these with the chocolate bars! These bar chocolates are finger-sized and crunchy and you'd most probably get addicted to them ? The Nutty Bar and Fruit Bar seem to be the more popular flavours, so make sure you get your hands on them!
10. Prafeuille Chocolat
Credit: @stephanny_susilo on Instagram
Delicate thin chocolate strips are filled with various fillings like green tea sauce, berries or milk making this snack too hard to resist! One bite and you'd be treated to a burst of flavours in your mouth ?
Products with no alcohol or gelatine but has unverified ingredients:
Baton Cookies
Credit: @bayabayajapan on Instagram
All 3 of flavours of the Baton Cookies have butter and/or margarine in them and we can't verify the halal status of these 2 ingredients. Do purchase them at your own discretion.
Criollo Chocolate
Credit: ROYCE Chocolates PH on Facebook
Royce' Criollo Chocolates has 3 flavours - Bitter, Sweet and Milk. Both the Bitter and Sweet flavours seem to contain milk constituents which aren't specified in the ingredients list. Only the Milk Criollo doesn't have the milk constituents. Do purchase them at your own discretion.
Petite Truffe (Praline)
Credit: @mbfcristobal on Instagram
While this is the only Petite Truffe product that does not contain alcohol, the Praline flavour still has butter and we can't verify the halal status of the butter used. Do purchase this at your own discretion.
Chocolate Wafers
Credit: @kukukumin on Instagram
Royce' Chocolate Wafers come in 3 flavours - Tiramisu Cream, Hazel Cream and Maccha. The Tiramisu Cream has cheese and we can't verify its halal status while all 3 of them have lactose and we can't verify its halal status either. Do purchase them at your own discretion.
With this guide in hand, now you won't need to stare so long at the Royce' chocolate section at a Japanese souvenir shop before deciding what to buy. Plus, there's such a wide variety of Muslim-friendly products available and you can have a taste of these high-quality chocolates. But as these chocolates aren’t officially halal-certified, we advise you to do the necessary checks and purchase them at your own discretion. If you’re planning to check the ingredients list of a particular item in Japan, we recommend using Google Translate’s camera function – all you need is to take the photo of the ingredients list and it will automatically translate it for you. Though this isn’t 100% accurate, you’d still be able to spot some key ingredients like whether there’s gelatine or alcohol.
Alternatively, you can also ask the staff from the shop the following questions:
Does this product have alcohol?
この商品にはアルコールが入っていますか。
Kono shōhin ni wa arukōru ga haitte imasu ka
Does this product have gelatine?
この商品はゼラチンを含んでいますか。
Kono shōhin wa zerachin o fukunde imasu ka
Does this product have animal derivatives?
これは動物由来の材料を含んでいますか。
Kore wa dōbutsu yurai no zairyō o fukunde imasu ka
With that, we hope this guide will be useful when you are shopping for snacks and souvenirs in Japan! Do let us know in the comments section what other Japanese snacks you’d like to us to talk about and SHARE this information with fellow Muslim travellers ?
P.S. Thinking what other snacks you can buy? Check out our guide to 15 Muslim-friendly snacks you can get from Japan!