It seems like there is a bakery in Japan on every corner. A variety of locations, including department shops, supermarkets, residential areas, and the majority of rail stations, provide freshly baked products for sale. Furthermore, however, is the enormous range of baked products that Japan has to offer. You are really spoiled for choice with the assortment of cakes, tarts, pies, sandwiches, soft breads, sweet breads, filled breads, fried breads, and donuts. Some French people even become overwhelmed by the variety of French breads and pastries available!
Japan’s Bakery Food History
Since Kimura Yasubei brought the first Japanese bread to Japan in 1874, the country has had a deep passion for bread. However, the post-World War II surge in wheat imports to combat starvation led to a significant boom in the pastry sector. Western cuisine became more and more popular as Westernisation progressed. It meant that people were receptive to new experiences, and Japanese bakers took full advantage of this.
If any of the desserts catch your attention, keep in mind that Yummy Bazaar’s well-liked selection of Japanese cuisine includes both mochi and dango in addition to many of the desserts mentioned on this list. Try them for yourself to discover whether the distinctions between Japanese and Western pastries are as great as they appear. Here are a few of the greatest baked goods from Japan. These are a must-try when visiting Japan if you like bread or pastries.
Comparing and contrasting European and Japanese cakes
Although bread and bread-baking have been there in Japan since the middle of the 16th century, pastries didn’t become widely popular until the middle of the 20th century. Many of the most well-known pastries in Japan today are modern versions of cross-pollinated desserts that were tailored to the tastes of the Japanese people. For instance, Japanese pastries tend to be lighter and creamier, with a more mellow flavour and airier texture, since they dislike the excessive sweetness and heavier texture seen in many Western, especially American, pastries.
Japanese Cheesecake
Perhaps the clearest example of how a Western cake can be adapted to suit Japanese tastes is Japanese cheesecake. Japanese cheesecake has a souffle-like texture and is light and airy, in contrast to the deep and rich texture of traditional cheesecake. When Tomotaro Kuzuno, a Japanese pastry chef, saw cheesecake for the first time while visiting Berlin in the 1960s, he knew he had to make his own version. All the traditional cheesecake ingredients—cream cheese, butter, sugar, and eggs—are included in Japanese cheesecake. The amounts and cooking methods are what make it a special treat.
First off, since recipe calls for a lot less sugar, the finished dish is butterier and less sweet. Because regular cheese imports had not begun until the late 1950s and the Japanese had not yet been used to its taste, Kuzuno was concerned that his creation’s strong flavour might cause them to reject it. This is why it also utilises less cream cheese. For example, the egg whites and yolks must be whisked separately to get the recognisable fluffy texture. Rather of being baked in the oven, the cake is cooked in a bain-marie.
Cake in Japanese Rolls
Japanese roll cake is a cheesecake-like variant of a Swiss roll that was modified to better suit Japanese tastes. A traditional sponge cake is rolled out and filled with chocolate frosting, jam, or whipped cream to make a Swiss roll. Usually, the cake makes up the majority of the layer and the filling is thin.
On the other hand, rolled chiffon cake is used to make Japanese roll cakes. While it is lighter and more airy than sponge cake, chiffon cake is comparable. Notably, Japanese roll cakes have less sugar than traditional Swiss rolls or other chiffon cakes. It’s intended for the cake portion to be delicate and light.
Japanese Shortcake with Strawberries
Visually, Japanese strawberry shortcake is almost the same as its Western equivalent. Once again, texture is the primary distinction. A strawberry shortcake prepared in Japan is noticeably creamier and lighter. It is composed of two or four layers of airy, light sponge cake (again, less sugar than its cousin in the West), filled with fresh strawberries and whipped cream, and topped with additional strawberries. In Japan, strawberry shortcake is a well-liked Christmas cake that bakers often adorn with holiday-themed decorations.
Cake with Japanese Mont Blanc
It’s not even a cake, the classic Mont Blanc dessert is. Two components make up Mont Blanc (even if it was popularised by the French): whipped cream and sweet chestnut purée. Mont Blanc was created in Piedmont, Italy. After being puréed to create vermicelli, the chestnut purée was placed onto a dish. After that, whipped cream was used to garnish it.
It was imported to Japan in 1933, according to a Japanese retailer called Montburan (Mont Blanc in Japanese). Apparently to make it simpler to consume, the Japanese were the ones who elevate it from a simple chestnut purée to a genuine pastry by adding a sponge cake basis. These days, monburan is one of the most well-known Japanese pastries, and other sweets like Kit-Kat and Pepsi often copy its flavour.
Japanese Baumkuchen
Baumkuchen is a kind of layered cake from Germany that is baked in a special oven or on a spit over an open flame. Its layers, when divided into slices, visually resemble a tree’s growth rings. Baumkuchen has become a national pastry of Japan thanks in large part to this image. It became a customary present at weddings, birthdays, and other festivities and was later linked to long life, happiness, and good fortune.
In contrast to other pastries on this list, the recipe for Baumkuchen hasn’t altered all that much. More so, Japan offered Baumkuchen a distinctive touch by experimenting with flavours like matcha, orange, milk, and cheese. However, they have been enjoying the traditional mild vanilla Baumkuchen flavour since 1919. Baumkuchen is actually simpler to get in Japanese bakeries these days than it is in Germany, where it is still produced solely at specialised facilities and is still considered a regional food.
Cream Puffs from Japan
The name “Shu” for cream puffs in Japan is a clear homage to the original Choux. Although the exact date of Choux a la Creme’s introduction to Japan is unknown, we may presume that by 1904, when Aizo Soma of Nakamuraya adopted it as the inspiration for his “Cream Pan” (a custard-filled sweet bun), it had already gained some level of popularity.
One of the most well-liked desserts in Japan, particularly among children, is cream puffs. They are available in vending machines, bakeries, and street sellers. Although vanilla custard or whipped cream are the most popular fillings for Japanese cream puffs, matcha, strawberry, or blueberry cream are also often used.
Japanese Sandwiches, Sweet Buns, and Bread
Anpan was the first iconic Japanese bread; it was a light, fluffy bun with anko paste within. Since then, a fluffy bun with a sweet or savoury filling has been the main description of Japanese-style bread. Jam Pans, Cream Pans, Choco Pans, and Melon Pans—soft buns with cookie dough topping—have long been favourites among sweet buns. Popular options among savoury buns include the buttery Yakisoba Pan, deep-fried Curry Bread, and Katsu Sando, which is a pork cutlet sandwich.
Additionally, there’s the well-known Furutsu Sando, a sweet Japanese sandwich. It is prepared by sandwiching pieces of Shokupan, a soft, fluffy milk bread, with whipped cream and fruit.
Which Native Japanese Pastries Are the Most Well-liked?
A wide variety of Japanese pastries are just fresh variations of Western pastries that are already popular, although certain desserts are unique to Japan and are still in demand today.
Japanese Castella Cake
The Castella recipe bears no direct comparison, despite having been created with inspiration from Nanban, or imported, confectionery. The closest would be Portuguese Bolo de Castela, or Castella cake, which is a favourite among sailors due to its lengthy shelf life. The cake was moister, lighter, and softer in the Japanese version. With a sloppy batter and Mizuame (a thick, starchy sugar syrup) for sweetness, the finished dish was quite different from the Portuguese original. Like Anpan was the first original Japanese bread, Castella may be claimed to be the first true Japanese pastry despite its origins in Western baking customs.
Imagawayaki
If you disagree that Castella is unquestionably a native Japanese pastry, then Imagawayaki is the best native Japanese pastry. Imagawayaki is a thick, tall pancake that was invented in the latter half of the 18th century and is filled with delicious red bean paste. It’s a staple dish at festivals and bakes well using a specific pan.
At least two notable pastries, Taiyaki and Dorayaki, sprang from Imagawayaki, which continues to have a considerable effect on Japanese pastries today. These days, it’s normal to see immagawayaki filled with things other than anko, such as curries, various fruit preserves, and vanilla custard.
Taiyaki
You may think of Taiyaki as Imagawayaki shaped like a fish. It is far thinner than its predecessor, but it still needs a specific pan to bake batter. It was made in 1909 at Naniwaya Sōhonten in an effort by the proprietor, Kobe Seijirou, to stand out from other vendors and draw in more business by giving his Imagawayaki a distinctive form.
These days, Taiyaki is more common than Imagawayaki and can be obtained at convenience shops, street sellers, and vending machines. It comes with a variety of fillings, including savoury and sweet ones.
Dorayaki
Dorayaki is a variation on the Japanese pancake that is made from of two tiny, sweet, flat Castella patties sandwiched together with a sweet filling. Dorayaki was originally filled with Anko paste, much as Imagawayaki and Taiyaki, but now days the fillings include chocolate, flavoured custard, and even chestnut purée.
Monaka
Although it’s debatable whether monaka counts as a pastry at all, we’ll agree that most classifications include it in the category of Japanese pastries. It is made up of two thin, crunchy Mochi wafers and a sweet filling, often anko, but other fillings, including chocolate or ice cream, are also well-liked these days. Monaka wafers are typically square or triangular in shape, although it’s becoming common practice to mould wafers into more eye-catching designs, like as chrysanthemums, cherry blossoms, etc.
Are Pastries Called Mochi and Dango?
If only it weren’t the century’s biggest question! A pastry is traditionally described as anything cooked using flour, water, and solid fat (shortening). Mochi and Dango are hard to classify since they don’t always adhere to these guidelines, although they sometimes do.
They are both composed of flour, namely rice flour. Water is often added to the cooked paste to smooth it out. Traditionally, mochi and dadgo are boiled or steam-cooked, but they may also be baked; in that case, they are referred to as yaki (or yagi).
It’s a Lot of Fun to Sample Bakeries Since There are so Many to be Discovered!
About baked foods in Japan, the list above is only the tip of the iceberg. Depending on the store, bread might have different textures, shapes, and flavours even if it is the same kind. Therefore, exploring different bakeries by just strolling about is the greatest way to really experience baked products in Japan. Numerous stores will either provide free samples or allow you to taste one if you ask to. We don’t want you to go home with a stomachache, so just watch out not to overindulge!
