Dear all,
I think this is going to be the last one I received.
If any of you are skipped, let me know.
Here is the link to Mayumi's focaccia.
I guess Kagawa people have the tradition she mentioned ini #6 slide. Or is it just a recent habit?
Also, you will see a cat sniffing it.
Looking at the origins of sakubei and shu manju, both seem to have Chinese roots. Was bread not widespread in China? Looking at the spread of staple breads, it seems Japanese people really love soft bread :)
返信削除I think the reason sakubei and sake manju have Chinese roots is simply that Japan’s oldest and most frequent cultural exchange was with China, so many early “flour foods” came through that route.
削除China is huge and historically connected by land to many different peoples and food traditions—so it’s much harder to summarize “Chinese bread culture” as a single story than it is for Japan. In my slides I kept the focus on Japan, where rice became dominant early and “soft” textures (steamed foods and later soft breads) fit local preferences well. Thank you for your question.
Prof. Miyake, thank you for your comments.
返信削除As you know, Kagawa is one of the most famous “Udon Prefecture” areas in Japan. This is not just a recent habit—Kagawa (Sanuki) has a long tradition of udon. One well-known account says it was introduced by Kukai. Another important background factor is Kagawa’s low rainfall and frequent droughts, which historically made stable rice production difficult. In that context, rice could be more of a luxury, and wheat-based udon became an important substitute staple, with techniques passed down and refined locally.
(https://www.sanukiudon.co.jp/history.html)
And my lovely cat sniffing the focaccia is a perfect expert quality inspector 😸!!
Kagawa’s low rainfall and frequent droughts, which historically made stable rice production difficult. -> Quite reasonable!
削除Thank you, prof. Takashi.
削除Do you think bread failed to become a staple in Japan because of culture or simply because the wrong kind of bread arrived first?
返信削除While it’s possible that lean, hard bread did not align with Japan’s soft rice-based food culture, I don’t think texture alone explains it. Bread production involves fermentation, kneading, and baking, and requires specific equipment such as ovens. These additional steps and infrastructural differences may also have limited its adoption as a staple.
削除Thank you for your interesting presentation about focaccia and the history of bread!
返信削除I have a few questions about slide 5. You mentioned two types of flat leavened bread. Could you please explain in more detail what is meant by “leavened thick” and “leavened thin” types?
Also, what does “single-layered” and “double-layered” mean in this classification?
You mentioned that focaccia would be classified as the thick type. Could you explain why focaccia belongs to that category?
Thanks.
削除In this classification, “leavened thick” and “leavened thin” refer mainly to thickness and internal structure.
Leavened thin breads are typically made from thin dough and form two layers during baking. As fermentation gases rapidly expand, the upper and lower surfaces separate, creating a pocket structure (as seen in pita). These are therefore described as double-layered breads .
In contrast, leavened thick breads remain single-layered. Their crumb structure stays continuous, and no internal pocket forms during baking .
Focaccia belongs to the thick type because it is relatively thick, and it does not form a pocket when baked. It maintains a single, continuous crumb structure. In fact, Pasqualone et al. describe focaccia as a single-layered flat bread . For these reasons, it fits the “leavened thick (single-layered)” category.
So why did Japan develop fermentation culture in miso and sake, but not in bread?
返信削除That’s exactly the “mystery” — and the fascinating part — of food culture.
削除As I mentioned earlier, rice had already become firmly established as Japan’s staple, shaping preferences for soft, rice-based meals. So even though fermentation itself was well understood, bread did not easily take root as an everyday staple.
Another important point may be the type of bread. If something softer and relatively easy to prepare — like focaccia — had arrived much earlier, the story might have been different. It is said that Western-style bread was introduced to Japan from Portugal during the Muromachi period. However, even if it was produced, it was mainly for foreigners and rarely appeared on ordinary Japanese dining tables.
Later, in 1875, Kimuraya invented soft-textured anpan using a sake-based starter (sakadane), which is often considered the beginning of Japan’s unique bread culture. However, anpan was essentially a sweet bun, influenced by wagashi traditions, rather than a staple food.
Even if meal-type bread had been introduced, it likely required specialized equipment and multiple processes — milling flour, kneading, proofing, baking, and especially ovens and fuel. To justify those costs, the product would have needed higher added value, which may have positioned it as a relatively rare or premium item rather than an everyday staple. By contrast, cooking rice was much simpler within existing household systems. This could be one plausible reason why bread took so long to become integrated into daily life — although, of course, it is difficult to prove this definitively :)
I apologize for the delayed comment, as I was attending an international conference in New Zealand until recently. If you have time, I would appreciate your response.
返信削除Thank you for the wonderful presentation on the history of bread. The perspective that bread did not develop as a staple food in Japan was very interesting.
The focaccia also looked delicious. I've seen some topped with tomatoes before—do you ever add any toppings?
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削除A conference in New Zealand sounds lovely!
削除I usually serve focaccia as a side dish to accompany meat or fish, so I prefer it simple with just fresh rosemary and rock salt. However, if I were to go with extra toppings, my favorite combination is bacon and Pecorino Romano.This version makes the best snack to pair with wine or beer. I just keep the rock salt to a minimum to balance the saltiness.
Sorry for my late comment, and thank you for your presentation.
返信削除I found the discussion about why bread did not become a staple food in Japan very interesting. Do you think focaccia, with its softer texture and higher moisture, could be more easily accepted in Japan compared with traditional hard breads?
Yes. I’ve noticed a lot of Japanese recipes online feature high-hydration dough. Even Pasco’s 'Chojuku' Focaccia is marketed as being 'chewy and moist,' which really highlights what the Japanese palate prefers.
削除Personally, I like my homemade version better than Pasco's. It's fragrant and crispy on the outside, but still chewy on the inside. It’s actually quite simple to bake, so you should definitely try it sometime!