| Curry bread | |
| Alternate Name: | karē pan |
| Country: | Japan |
| Creator: | Nakata Toyoharu (?) |
| Type: | Bread |
| Main Ingredient: | Dough, Japanese curry, bread crumbs |
| Year: | 1927 (?) |
is a popular Japanese food. It consists of Japanese curry or other types of curry wrapped in a piece of dough, which is then coated in bread crumbs and deep fried.[1] On occasion it is baked instead of deep fried, but deep frying is the most common method of cooking. Curry bread is usually found in bakeries and convenience stores.
The exact origin of curry bread in Japan is unknown, but it is often said that it was created in 1927 by a man named Nakata Toyoharu.[2] [3] It was during this time period that foods from Western countries were becoming popular in Japan and many businesses were experimenting with making Japanese-style Western dishes. As curry was introduced to Japan by Ango-Indian Royal Navy officers, curry bread was originally called "Western food bread" (洋食パン, yōshoku pan) when it was first sold in Tokyo during the early Shōwa era.[4] It eventually became widely referred to as "curry bread" (カレーパン, karē pan) due to its curry filling.[5]