Among all the Nagoya Foods (Nagoya-meshi, 名古屋めし) we tried while we were traveling in Nagoya this past summer, Ogura Toast (小倉トースト) was the most unexpectedly delicious food we enjoyed. In fact, I completely forgot about this dish during the trip until I saw it available as part of the hotel breakfast selection.
What’s Ogura Toast?
Simply, it’s toasted Japanese bread called Shokupan (食パン) topped with butter and sweet azuki red bean paste. The hotel suggested that it tastes even better with the freshly whipped cream on top, so that’s what I had in Nagoya. Because it’s such a simple dish, there are not too many variations to this dish. Some use different types of toast to make this dish unique, but the presentation is pretty much the same. Simply a toast, butter, and red bean paste, with optional whipped cream on top.
What Does Ogura Toast Taste Like?
To be honest, I wasn’t too sure about the combination of this dish before I had the first bite. Don’t get me wrong, I love each ingredient in this dish. But tasting them all together? My initial sense was very doubtful about it. If you are feeling doubtful right now as well, I have to tell you Ogura Toast blew me away big time. I said the same thing about another Nagoya specialty – Tenmusu in my previous post. Seriously, Nagoya kept surprising me with all these amazing and unusual foods during my visit! Now back to the taste of Ogura Toast. I believe Shokupan plays a very important role. It’s a thicker toast than the typical American toast for sandwiches and has very soft, moist, and fluffy yet bouncy layers inside. The flavor has a slightly sweeter taste to it compared to American toast. When you toast the shokupan, it creates a nice crispy surface where you can spread the butter on top. The creamy butter binds the sweet red bean paste; as the red bean paste is rather dry, the butter gives “juiciness” to it. I’ve tried Ogura Toast with and without fresh homemade whipped cream and I have to say, put it on when you eat Ogura Toast. I’m actually not a huge fan of whipped cream, but I find the cold whipped cream on Ogura Toast very refreshing. The texture from the crispy toast contrasted well with the soft silky whipped cream. A dollop of cold whipped cream on top tricks your mouth before biting into the warm toast. All in all, this is a fabulous breakfast or snack that I will be enjoying for the rest of my life (within reason)! Wish to learn more about Japanese cooking? Sign up for our free newsletter to receive cooking tips & recipe updates! And stay in touch with me on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram.
