The Guardian

Using their loaf: Japanese elevate humble art of making toast

From a £220 toaster that makes one slice to loaves designed to crisp up better, the nation is being gripped by a new culinary obsession
Kaori Kajita, the founder of the Japan Toast Association. Photograph: Japan Toast Association

Breakfast at Galant, a cafe in the Ueno neighbourhood of Tokyo, has a decidedly retro feel: a boiled egg, salad, plain yoghurt with a swirl of blueberry jam and a cup of coffee.

The centrepiece, though, is the perfectly executed toast – a single slice of white bread, its crunchy exterior concealing an inner fluffiness, served just warm enough for the butter to melt without dripping.

While Japan has partly embraced the – literally “eating bread” – soft white loaves sliced as thick as you like and consumed without a hint of fibre-free guilt.

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