A Journey Through Japan's Best Sweets and Their Hidden Past!

Long ago, a group of monks from Portugal got lost at sea while sailing to Macao. Because of bad weather, they ended up in Nagasaki, Japan.

This accidental meeting changed Japan a lot, especially its food. The monks and other Portuguese people who followed them brought something special – sugar.

In the 16th century, Nagasaki was the only city in Japan where foreigners could trade. Because of this, the people in Nagasaki really liked sweet things.

A lot of the yummy sweets in Japan today come from Kyushu, the island where Nagasaki is located.

One of these sweets is called castella, which is like a cake inspired by Portugal.

Even though the idea of making the cake came from Portugal, one special ingredient makes it Japanese – mizuame syrup. This syrup is made from sticky rice.

So, because of a little mistake at sea, Japan got to enjoy tasty treats like castella!

If you want to try some castella for yourself, the best place to get it is at Fukusaya.

It's a famous cake shop chain, and guess where it started? In Nagasaki in 1624.

In Fukuoka, the biggest city on Kyushu Island, you can find Fukusaya's main shop in the busy Akasaka neighborhood, not far from where tourists come into the city from Hakata Station, the end of the Shinkansen high-speed train line.

At Fukusaya, the castella cakes are cut into cubes, wrapped up in colorful packages, and put into gift boxes.

While they sometimes have special flavors like cherry blossom in the spring or chocolate at Christmas, the classic castella is still the most popular, says an employee in Akasaka.

Castella, also known as kasutera in Japanese, also shows up in another yummy Japanese treat called dorayaki. In dorayaki, the castella cake is thinner and turned into a pancake with sweet red bean paste inside.

Sweet Connections of Japan and Europe

Europe and Japan have a sweet connection, where they share and adapt each other's treats. Take macarons, for example.

In Japan, they make their version of macarons, sometimes calling them makaron. Instead of almond flour, they use peanut flour, and often add traditional Japanese flavors like green tea or red bean.

Michele Abbatemarco, a pastry chef at Est restaurant in the Four Seasons Tokyo at Otemachi, thinks the Japanese really enjoy European pastries, especially the French ones. It's a mutual feeling.

Over the past 50 years, there's been a big change in pastries in Japan, and now many patisseries in Europe and around the world are inspired by Japanese goodies, says Michele.

A brand from Kyushu, Kitajima, is known for its sweets that mix Europe with Japan.

Check out their Portuguese-inspired marubolo cookies with honey, French-style madeleines that include walnuts for a nice texture, and Margaret cakes made with almond flour shaped like big flowers. Keep an eye out for these delicious treats!