A semi-circular bread topped with a flat, round castella dough.
The story of its birth began in the mid-1950s, when melon bread was being made.
It is said that just before baking, there was no biscuit dough on top of the melon bread, so castella dough was poured instead and baked, resulting in a hat shape.
Soon, it became loved as a local bread in Kochi under the name of ‘Hat Bread.’


Its origins lie in the content proposed by Takashi Hayashi, a brain physiologist and author, in his book, “A Book That Makes You Smarter: Brain Physiological Management Methods,” published in the same year.
According to him, eating bread made with 'brain flour made using a milling method that contains a large amount of vitamin B1 found in wheat' as the raw material activates brain function, improving memory and thinking ability.
This is because the brain only needs glucose as an energy source, and vitamin B1 is essential for breaking down glucose.
Kanazawa Flour Mill in Ishikawa Prefecture immediately developed "brain flour" based on his theory.
Ten bakeries across the country formed the 'Brain Bread Federation' and named bread made with brain flour 'Brain Bread', which each company began selling.

It was developed around 1965 by the president of Furukawa Confectionery with the aim of creating a product that could be a snack for farmers.
By preserving the flavor of soybean paste and adding molasses or corn syrup for a solid texture and deep savory flavor, it becomes a filling snack bread.
Among riders traveling in Hokkaido, a lunch of miso bread and a carbonated drink is popular and called the "satiety course."

Mornings are filled with freshly brewed coffee, toast, boiled eggs, fried foods, steamed eggs, rice balls, miso soup, and even desserts, making you wonder if this is even possible.
It is only natural that Nagoya's unique food culture, "Ogura Toast," would be added to such a morning.
Okura toast is thick toast spread with butter or margarine and topped with okura bean paste.
This is one of Nagoya's dishes, believed to have originated from a cafe in the Sakae district of Nagoya City during the Taisho period.
It may be a difficult combination for people from other regions to imagine, but there is no discomfort in the taste of salty and sweet.
Nagoya people believe that this will become a national dish.

Sakai Coast in Miyazaki, Asahi-machi, Toyama Prefecture is known for the jade stones that wash up there, and is locally called the Jade Coast.
Shimizu Bakery is a bakery that was founded in 1949 in Asahi-machi.
One day in the mid-1950s, the founder thought, "You can't let something you're going to eat go to waste," so he applied green bean jelly, used in making Japanese sweets, to cover up the burnt parts of a sweet red bean bun, and a new bread was born.
Originally called Yanggaeng Bread, it was renamed to Bichu Bread because of its color, making it more popular among local residents.
Although it was a product that started from a failure, it became a bestseller that has lasted for over 60 years as a local bread in Toyama.

According to the Japan Curry Bread Association, the original Western-style bread is believed to have been registered as a utility model in 1927 by the second-generation owner of Meikado (now Catorea) in Tokyo.
Meanwhile, there are several stores across the country that are believed to have invented curry bread.
At that time, all bakeries were coming up with creative ideas to create new breads simultaneously.
It would be more natural to think that there was such a historical background.
Of course, the original curry bread from Catorea is still alive and well today.
It is filled with plenty of vegetables such as carrots and onions, and fried in high-quality vegetable oil and cottonseed oil, resulting in the best taste without being greasy.
It has been made less spicy so that it can be loved by everyone, and it is Catorea's signature product, selling 1,000 pieces a day.

The three major snack breads in Japan are red bean buns, jam buns, and cream buns.
Red bean buns were invented by Ginza Kimuraya, and jam buns were invented by Kimuraya Sohonten.
The origin of cream buns is here, Shinjuku Nakamuraya.
Towards the end of the Meiji period, the founders, Soma Aizo and Soma Kokko, tried cream puffs for the first time and were impressed by their taste.
The two thought that it would definitely be delicious if custard cream was added to the red bean buns instead of the filling.
Additionally, it is said that cream made with dairy products is considered good for children in terms of nutritional value.
In 1904, a cream bun that was hastily made and put into stores was very well received.
When it was first released, it was crescent-shaped, but after World War II, a scabbard was added to remove air so that there was no empty space inside.
As a result, the shape of the bread became glove-shaped as it is today.

--- From the text