The world loves boiled and salted edamame. But how about sweet?

This specialty of Japan's northeastern Tohoku region turns usually salty edamame into a sweet spread. | MAKIKO ITOH

Aug 23, 2026

In the same realm as sushi and ramen, edamame is one of those Japanese foods that has become as common abroad as it is at home.

Soybeans (the mature form of edamame) made their way into Japan from China almost two millennia ago, and records show that edamame (the green, immature form of the bean) was part of the standard Japanese diet in the Nara (710-94) and Heian (794-1185) periods. By the Edo Period (1603-1867), merchants ambling around town carrying whole plants full of edamame pods — a sign of freshly picked beans — were a summertime fixture.

Boiled in the pod and lightly salted, edamame has become popular around the globe as a light appetizer or snack. But what if there was a way to turn these green beans into a sweet treat for summer?

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