McDonald's Debuts Shrimp McNuggets, Offering Fresh Take on Classic Side

McDonald's diversifies its iconic McNugget range with a new shrimp flavor, challenging the longstanding chicken association. The innovative seafood twist broadens menu choices and offers a unique dining experience for a limited time.

McDonald's is adding Puripuri Ebi Purio to its menu list, but this will only be available in restaurants in Japan. Moreover, the Japanese unit of the burger joint unveiled its newest shrimp nuggets to have a new flavor that will also expand its nuggets offering.

The Puripuri Ebi Purio will also give customers another option and not just the usual "chicken" when ordering McNuggets to complement a meal. Also, since customers already see McNuggets as a chicken food item, the arrival of the shrimp flavor is expected to change this perception.

In any case, McDonald's Japan named the shrimp McNugget Puripuri Ebi Purio as the food exactly represents the meaning of each word in Japanese. Puripuri is often used to describe a cooked shrimp's plumpness and tender consistency, while ebi is the Japanese term for shrimp.

The last word, "Purio," has no exact meaning. Still, it was suggested that it could be a word play for "fireo," which is how the Japanese pronounce the "Filet-O" on McDonald's fish sandwich menu, and maybe they used "P" instead of "F" to highlight the shrimp's puripuri quality.

According to Entabe, McDonald's Puripuri Ebi Purio is the first side menu made with shrimp. There has not been a single shrimp-flavored side since 2006 in Japan.

The unique Puripuri Ebi Purio McNugget is coming to McDonald's stores across the country on Sept. 20. It will only be on the menu until the last week of October, so diners must not miss it. A pack of five shrimp nuggets is priced at ¥260 or $1.80 ala carte and ¥620 for a meal.

Photo by: McDonald's Japan