Ultra Melon Choco (Photo by Shoji Kudaka)
Kashi pan or “菓子パン” is a word that means “snack bread” in Japanese.
It refers to bread with various toppings, ranging from fruit jam to cream to butter. Some of them even contain sausage, noodles or curry sauce.
Kashi pan can be consumed literally as a snack, or it can be part of breakfast or lunch.
For me, it is often my go-to food to fill my stomach quickly.
There are so many kinds of kashi pan to choose from, and I love to explore new flavors. However, there are some that I go back to, especially the ones specific to Okinawa.
Listed below are some of the Okinawan breads that I have been familiar with since my childhood.
The popularity of “Gotouchi pan (local bread)” is surging across the country and are often featured by TV shows, many gaining nationwide name recognition.
These breads are commonly available at local supermarkets and convenience stores for reasonable prices.
Why not try these tastes of Okinawa for a quick culinary adventure?
*The prices indicated below include tax.
1. Snack Pan (346 yen approx. $2.39)
Snack Pan (Photo by Shoji Kudaka)
This was my all-time favorite kashi-pan. Its crispy but soft texture and delicate sweetness are quite addictive, and I often devour all seven sticks in the package without stopping. This bread has a variation that includes chocolate chips as well.
2. Ultra Melon Choco (265 yen)
Ultra Melon Choco (Photo by Shoji Kudaka)
Melon pan is a snack bread topped with a crispy, cookie-like texture. The are several theories as to the source of the unique name, one of them refers to the similarity between the looks of the bread and the fruit.
It is now loved by foreigners and Japanese consumers. Especially in Asakusa, Tokyo, you will see many tourists flocking to bakery shops known for their delicious “melon pan.”
I’m sure those bakeries’ melon pans taste good, but to me, those sold at local supermarkets remain my first choice. Among them, Ultra melon choco is my favorite for the combination of its sweet skin and salty margarine inside. Plus, its exceptional size with 889kcal is quite filling.
3. Zebra Pan (260 yen)
Zebra Pan (Photo by Shoji Kudaka)
This is arguably the most famous and popular Okinawan bread. Its unique name comes from the fact that its profile looks like a zebra’s skin thanks to layers of peanut cream and brown sugar paste. This is a no-brainer for those who like peanuts.
4. Nakayoshi pan (400 yen)
Nakayoshi pan (Photo by Shoji Kudaka)
This big bread is loved by many for its fluffy coco-flavored dough and sweet white cream inside. Nakayoshi means “good friends” in Japanese. The name comes from the hope that consumers share this bread with friends. A frog character called “Shuichi-kun” is drawn on each package. It was named after the bakery’s founder.
5. Uzumaki Sand (189 yen)
Uzumaki Sand (Photo by Shoji Kudaka)
The name says it all. “Uzumaki” means spiral in Japanese. This is, in a sense, a slice of rolled cake packaged as bread. But there are some differences.
First, the size is much bigger than a sliced rolled cake. Plus, sandwiched between each part of the spiral are sweet but grainy white creams that contain many particles of sugar.
The contrast between the soft texture of the bread and the grainy cream is quite addictive.
