Echizen Yumekobo “Megane Katapan”

In Sabae City, Fukui Prefecture—where eyeglass frame manufacturing is part of everyday life—there’s a new local souvenir called “Megane Katapan.” As the name suggests, it’s bread shaped like eyeglasses. The look (and that unusual texture) has been turning heads, and it’s quickly gaining recognition.

Its roots trace back to “Katapan,” a preserved food made for the Imperial Japanese Army during wartime. In a time of food shortages, it was created after much trial and error to provide soldiers with something “highly nutritious and filling,” and also “with almost zero moisture content, so it keeps well.” Based on the production method from that era, it was revamped into an eyeglass shape under the supervision of the well-known local long-established bakery “Europe Pan Kimuraya.” It became a popular bread that represents “Sabae, the city of eyeglasses.”

You do need to be careful when eating it. It’s so hard that you can’t crunch through it if you just bite straight in. Break it with a hammer, then enjoy it little by little. The more you chew, the more the toasted sesame aroma and simple wheat flavor spread through your mouth. All that chewing might even give your jaw a workout.