What is "karinto"

is a traditional Japanese snack food. Sweet and deep-fried, it is made primarily of flour, yeast, and brown sugar. It has a deep brown and pitted appearance, and takes the form of a "bite-sized" pillow or short cylinder. Although traditional karinto is coated with brown sugar, recently other variations appear in the market, such as white sugar, sesame seeds, miso, or peanuts.