Japanese Food Tips

There is a Japanese pastry called anpan, which is a bun containing mashed sweetened red bean paste with black sesame seeds sprinkled over it. It is a traditional and very popular snack. Anpan was invented about 150 years ago by the famous Japanese bakery Kimuraya. At that time, because bread was unfamiliar to Japanese, anpan was made to resemble manjyu, which is a Japanese traditional sweet steamed bun stuffed with mashed sweetened red bean paste. Currently, anpan is sold at many shops such as bakeries, supermarkets, and convenience stores, and few people make it at home. There are also fried anpan, also called age-anpan or an-donatsu (Japanese for “donut”), which are coated with powdered sugar. If you are in Japan, why not try anpan for a snack?