Who said Japanese does not have bread? We enjoy our unique bread!!
Bread in Japan? Japan, as located in Asia, without doubt, the main diet has been rice. However, you will be surprise that how many bakeries there are in Japan, and how much people love bread just as rice.
History of bread in Japan
When bread brought to Japanese shore?
In 1543, Portuguese arrived in Nagasaki, and missionaries began to convey Western culture to Japan as well as Western weapons. The origin of the word “Pan” is said to have come from "pao" in Portuguese. After that, bread was disappeared from Japan by isolation policy for a while.
War and Bread in Edo period
In 1842, bread was made for the first time by Egawa Tarozaemon Hidetatsu as preserved food for soldiers. I have tried the pan replicated this first bread. It was so hard just feeling like I was eating rock.
Food shortage postwar and Bread
After the end of the World Was Second in 1945, with the age of food shortage, imported whear is used from the United States. In school lunch, bread started to be distributed to childen, and gradually, more people came to have bread in lunch and breakfast.
Western Japanese Breakfast = “Syokupan”
These days, more people especially young generation have bread for breakfast called "shokupan", which literally means square bread, in the morning. Every supermarket, you can easily find "shokupan" package of 4, 6 or 8 slices.
Unique Bread in Japan
Not only common bread, there are some unique bread only seen in Japanese bakarys.
<Sweet Bread>
Melonpan: fluffy baked bun with a sugar-covered cookie-type top crust
Anpan: Sweet bread filled with red bean past called “An” in Japanese
Creampan: literally bread filled with cream, but not only normal cream but various cream such as match cream, chocolate cream is also used.
(https://www.j-retail.jp/brand/kiosk/product/panest/detail.html?id=16217, https://www.littlemermaid.jp/products/sweets/index.html)
<Salty Bread> Yakisoba-Pan: Yakisoba (soy-sauce noodles) + Bread, hyper carbonate bread is here. You will be surprised how nice Yakisoba and bread go together
Korokke Pan: Bread filled with deep-fried croquettes, which are generally made of mashed potatoes, onions and minced meat
Katsu Sando: A sandwich with pork cutlet, deep fried pork, with sauce on top
(https://macaro-ni.jp/32917, https://recipe.yamazakipan.co.jp/recipe.html?id=107, https://onhome.blog.so-net.ne.jp/2011-10-16)
Melon-Pan at Kagetsudo
You want to try Japanese original bread? I want to recommend a celebrated melonpan store in Tokyo!! Just in the crowd of famous tourist spot “Asakusa” in Tokyo, there is a famous melonpan store called “Kagetsudo”. More than 3,000 pieces of melonpan is sold a day! Each melonpan is carefully made changing its method every day depending on the season of the say, temperature, humidity, and the condition of wheat flour. Outside is crispy, inside is fluffy. There's no doubt that you'll get hooked once you take that first bite.
WHERE is it?
Main Store
2-7-13 Asakusa, Taito-ku, Tokyo
There are other three stores in Tokyo.
How to go there?
Once you arrive near sensoji in Asakusa, go by smell you will find easily!
Operating Hours: 9:00- Closing as soon as “Junjue Melonpan” is sold out
For further information: https://asakusa-kagetudo.com/en/
Why not feel Japan in Western foodies?
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