The Guardian

Using their loaf: Japanese elevate humble art of making toast

From a £220 toaster that makes one slice to loaves designed to crisp up better, the nation is being gripped by a new culinary obsession
Kaori Kajita, the founder of the Japan Toast Association. Photograph: Japan Toast Association

Breakfast at Galant, a cafe in the Ueno neighbourhood of Tokyo, has a decidedly retro feel: a boiled egg, salad, plain yoghurt with a swirl of blueberry jam and a cup of coffee.

The centrepiece, though, is the perfectly executed toast – a single slice of white bread, its crunchy exterior concealing an inner fluffiness, served just warm enough for the butter to melt without dripping.

While Japan has partly embraced the – literally “eating bread” – soft white loaves sliced as thick as you like and consumed without a hint of fibre-free guilt.

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from The Guardian

The Guardian6 min read
From Kurt To Elvis, JFK And More, What Movies Did Stars See Just Before They Died?
Clad in black and wearing a cheeky-chappie grin, the artist and author Stanley Schtinter resembles Damon Albarn dressed as an undertaker. That suits his new book, Last Movies, which refracts cultural history through the prism of films watched by nota
The Guardian4 min read
Critics Of Napoleon Epic Have Fallen For Emperor’s Fibs, Says Film’s Military Expert
Critics of the “damaging” and “inaccurate” portrayal of Napoleon Bonaparte in Ridley Scott’s new cinematic epic Napoleon are just victims of the French emperor’s enduring propaganda, according to the military adviser behind the film’s vast battle sce
The Guardian4 min read
‘Almost Like Election Night’: Behind The Scenes Of Spotify Wrapped
There’s a flurry of activities inside Spotify’s New York City’s offices in the Financial District. “It’s almost like election night,” Louisa Ferguson, Spotify’s global head of marketing experience says, referring to a bustling newsroom. At the same t

Related Books & Audiobooks