Curry bread is a savory pastry with a Japanese curry filling covered in panko (Japanese bread crumbs) and fried to a crispy golden brown. It’s a popular comfort food sold in Japanese bakeries around the world and can be eaten at any time of the day as a filling snack. Learn more about this delicious treat and how it first made its way from India to Japan centuries ago.

Look & Taste

The look of curry bread can best be described as pillow-like. It’s a small pouch that fits in the palm of one hand. Because it’s deep-fried, the outer surface is brown and crunchy, while the inside contains curry filling. The bread layer is thin and slightly chewy. Though it’s fried, thanks to the panko, the outer crust isn’t overly greasy.

Curry bread has a taste uniquely its own. It contains the traditional curry overtones: earthiness and depth balanced with a delicate sweetness and fragrant bouquet. The bread and crust are slightly salty, which pairs beautifully with the spice of the curry. Texturally, the crunch of the outside melts into the soft inner layers to create a powerful flavor with each bite.

History

Traditionally, curry is a dish most associated with India. It likely arrived in Japan in the nineteenth century, when the country first came into contact with Western ships. These ships brought curry and other goods from their trading routes between India and the rest of the world, so, to the Japanese, curry was thought of as a Western food.

Over the years, the Japanese integrated curry into their cuisine and made it their own. In its earliest form, curry—then called rice curry—first appeared on restaurant menus in 1877.

As more and more Japanese people began to embrace this new flavor sensation, curry began to take all sorts of forms. By the middle part of the twentieth century, curry was popular in soups with udon or soba and as a deep-fried bread called karē pan—or curry bread.

To try curry bread for yourself, visit Brug Bakery. Located in Honolulu, HI, they offer over 70 handmade bread products, from the sweet to the savory. Since 2013, they’ve provided customers with a taste of Hokkaido. Call (808) 489-9219 to inquire about the daily offerings. Visit their website or Facebook to see photos of their exciting and diverse products.