We sample the local specialty bread (or something like it?) that Shiga is famous for (and at least don’t pan-ic in the process).

Our Japanese-language writer Ikuna Kamezawa has always wanted to try Shiga Prefecture’s famous local bread called sarada pan (“salad bread”). Unfortunately, when she visited the area last year, she wasn’t able to buy any. She’s even tried asking a friend from Shiga who sometimes visits Tokyo to bring her some, but it’s just never quite worked out, especially when asking for a freshly baked loaf.

It’s somewhat ironic then that Ikuna’s local market in Tokyo was having a “breads from across Japan” campaign recently. She couldn’t find sarada pan but she did find something called takuan pan (“pickled daikon radish break”), also from Shiga. Takuan refers to the bright yellow, tangy slices of pickled daikon that you’ll often see as a side dish in a traditional Japanese meal.

▼ Takuan

Sarada pan, by the way, is supposed to be a kind of bread roll with takuan inside of it. So what exactly is the difference…?

▼ Here’s the takuan pan that she bought for 350 yen (US$2.46).

The brand’s name was Seiyoken, which has its headquarters in Otsu, Shiga (just to the east of Kyoto). Ikuna did a little Googling and learned that the company is over 100 years old. The old-style font on the packaging used for “Seiyoken” contrasted with the curvy and more modern-looking font used for “takuan,” which was the largest and most prominently displayed word on the wrapper.

She had also bought two other Seiyoken breads, but these ones looked overall more retro in their appearance. Ikuna was curious if one kind of styling was more authentic to the Seiyoken image than the other.

As luck would have it, her friend from Shiga just happened to be visiting at that time. After saying hi to each other, Ikuna cut right to the chase and asked her friend if she had grown up eating Seiyoken bread.

Friend: “Huh? Do you mean that Seiyoken…? They’re famous for New Year’s osechi meals, so I often see that name around the start of the new year. I had no idea they also sold bread. I think they usually focus on delivery bento.”

Ikuna: “Look at this bread carefully. Isn’t this takuan pan super memorable? You’ve really never seen it? Try hard to remember.”

Friend: “Sorry…I really have no idea. Shiga’s bread has gotta be sarada pan and that’s it. Oh, besides that, Seiyoken often has job openings, so it might be famous among people in Shiga who are looking for part-time work, haha. But when it comes to the bread I unfortunately don’t know anything.”

Ikuna was slightly crushed, but she figured that there was nothing she could do if even a local wasn’t familiar with it.

However, she did a little more googling and stumbled upon a shocking realization. There was actually another company called Nanyoken (南洋軒)–only one kanji different from Seiyoken (西洋軒)–that is based in Kusatsu, Shiga Prefecture. Nanyoken specializes in bento, while Seiyoken specializes in bread. It was all a basic misunderstanding with her friend. Thank goodness Ikuna didn’t share the incorrect information with the world!

All of these emotional highs and lows had made her hungry, so she decided it was time to do a little taste-testing.

She started with the bread that was simply called “Triangle” (350 yen). It was hard to say if it had the consistency of bread or cake. There was some cream cheese sandwiched inside and the outer coating was like that of castella–not too sweet, but kind of like melon bread.

There wasn’t anything earthshattering about it but it was definitely the kind of thing that Ikuna craves every now and then. It also seemed like something that you should be able to find anywhere but at the same time wouldn’t be able to find anything exactly like it.

Next she moved onto the bread that looked kind of like a Vienna roll. But actually…

…it was chikuwa pan (“fish cake bread”) (350 yen)! A sign near it in the store had proclaimed that it was a super popular local savory bread. Ikuna’s first impression was that this would be a weird one, but she ended up loving it. A little bit of tuna filled the hollow in the chikuwa, but if you didn’t know, you might think it was a regular sausage. The bread itself was also sweet and fluffy.

Finally, it was time to try the original object of Ikuna’s intrigue–takuan pan.

She was surprised to be hit by the smell of natto, fermented soybeans, as soon as she opened the packaging. That’s far from what she had expected, and it was also off-putting since she’s not a huge fan of natto. It definitely seemed like something fermented was inside. Perhaps the takuan, which wouldn’t usually give off this kind of smell, was smoked. In fact, something–most likely the takuan–was dressed with mayonnaise in the center of the bread. Ikuna mentally prepared herself to take a small bite.

Huh? Thankfully, it wasn’t actually natto. The roll was on the sweet side and the filling was a mix of mayo and very finely chopped takuan, which made for a great balance of salty-sweetness. It wasn’t anything that she would call insanely delicious, but she happily ate the whole roll. She could see though how people who have eaten it for a long time must really like it.

While Ikuna still doesn’t quite understand if sarada pan and takuan pan are the same thing, she can confidently recommend trying the local breads if you ever find yourself in Shiga. A trip to see the colors around Lake Biwa in autumn might just be the perfect excuse.

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