I worked in Kobe which is famous for it's bread shops/bakeries called 'Pan Ya'.
You will find Pan Ya all over Japan! Like most dishes adopted from the west (called Yoshoku) the Japanese have recreated bread into something very different and iconic-ally Japanese.
The bread here is an unbelievably fluffy and soft milk bread. Shokupan is the plain bread you will find at breakfast or used for the amazing 'Japanese Sando' (Japanese Sandwiches) which can be quite different to our concept of a sandwich. Strawberries and cream sando anyone? Yes it might sound strange, but the bread is soft and slightly sweet, so it works!
But the true magic of Japanese bread is their trick of baking the fillings inside or on top of the dough before it goes into the oven. I guess using the concept of a pasties or pastry baked item but using dough instead. These are amazing!
Going to a Japanese Pan Ya is always dangerous! As you enter, you take a tray and tongs and are greeted with shelves and shelves of baked goods. You wander around the store picking what you fancy. It's much harder to be good this way than when ordering from the counter. A very clever marketing tactic? Or maybe I'm just greedy? Let's go with both!
There are some breads that have become firm favourites and are quintessentially Japanese. These are the above mentioned 'Japanese Sando', Melon pan (pictured above) - Cookie covered bread buns cut into a lattice pattern said to resemble a melon. Despite it's name these are not traditionally melon flavoured. Custard pan - fluffy buns stuffed with custard. Kare pan - Curry filled buns that have been panko breadcrumb coated and deep fried. And so so many more!
Pan Ya are available everywhere in Japan but why is Kobe in particular such a bread loving city?
Well in 1854 Japan opened it's ports to the rest of the world. Kobe was one of the first cities to build a foreign residents settlement and to have foreign culture introduced to Japan. So even though Kove is a very Japanese city, it does have a Western feel to it.
German bread artisans set up a bakery after WWI which kick started the Kobe bread culture.
Today you can find Pan Ya in Kobe that have been established there for over 100 years.
I'd say trying out a Japanese Pan Ya should definitely be on your 'to do list' when visiting Japan!
Head over to our Miniyaki's Pan Ya to see what we have on offer!