Diamond-shaped chocolate
Award Winners
Fukushima Prefectural Inawashiro High School
Riko Hasegawa, Emiri Sato, and Shomai Otsuka
Rediscovering my hometown
Water chestnuts are rich in nutrients and are also known as "water peanuts," named after the diamond-shaped leaves that float on the water surface. Water chestnuts are rich in vitamins and minerals, as well as containing vital ingredients (which help regulate the body) such as beta-carotene and riboflavin.
Ways to revitalize the local area
Water chestnuts are highly nutritious, containing plenty of vitamins and minerals that are beneficial for women, and can also be used in medical treatments, so we will use water chestnuts to make "water chestnut chocolate." When peeled, water chestnuts are shaped like hearts, and we will coat them in chocolate, a favorite of children and women. Rather than simply coating them in chocolate (brown), we will use local fruits from Inawashiro Town (blueberries) and Fukushima Prefecture (strawberries) to make them more colorful, resulting in chocolate that can be enjoyed by children and adults alike, even at events like Valentine's Day. Inawashiro Town is home to many Western and Japanese confectionery shops, so we are asking willing companies to cooperate with us in product development. We also plan to commercialize a "water chestnut healthy smoothie" that uses plenty of Inawashiro fruit in addition to chocolate, using water chestnuts (which are nutritious) in a tapioca-like way.
Comments and points regarding the award
I think it is commendable that the project has taken the perspective of effectively utilizing water chestnut seeds to improve water quality while also promoting people's health, and that it has given detailed consideration to the content and methods of rediscovering the region.
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