Castella

Type	Sponge cake
Place of origin	Japan
Region or state	Japan, Taiwan
Main ingredients	Flour, sugar, eggs, mizuame
Media: Castella

Castella (カステラ, kasutera) is a kind of wagashi^[1][2][3] (a Japanese traditional confectionery) developed in Japan based on the "Nanban confectionery" (confectionery imported from abroad to Japan during the Azuchi–Momoyama period). The batter is poured into large square or rectangular molds, baked in an oven and cut into long rectangular shapes. To suit the tastes of Japanese people, mizuame (水飴) was added to the sponge cake to make it more moist, and zarame (ザラメ, coarse sugar), was added to the bottom of the sponge cake to give it a coarser texture.^[4]

Now a specialty of Nagasaki, the cake was brought to Japan by Portuguese merchants in the 16th century. The name is derived from Portuguese Bolo de Castela, meaning "cake from Castile".^[5] Castella cake is usually sold in long boxes, with the cake inside being approximately 27 cm (11 in) long. Its closest relative is pão-de-ló, a Portuguese cake. Pão-de-ló can be in turned derived from The French Pain de lof^[6] or Gâteau de Savoie.^[7]

There are similar types of sponge cakes named after the same fashion, in Italian: Pan di Spagna, in Portuguese: Pão d’Espanha, in Romanian: Pandișpan, in Bulgarian: пандишпан, in Greek: Παντεσπάνι, in Turkish: Pandispanya (Castile was a former kingdom of Spain, comprising its north-central provinces, thus these names are quasi-synonymous to "bread from Castile").

History

In the 16th century, the Portuguese reached Japan and soon started trade and missionary work. Nagasaki was then the only Japanese port open for foreign commerce. The Portuguese introduced many then-unusual things, such as guns, tobacco, and pumpkins. The cake could be stored for a long time, and so was useful for the sailors who were out on the sea for months. In the Edo period, in part due to the cost of sugar, castella was an expensive dessert to make despite the ingredients sold by the Portuguese. When the Emperor of Japan's envoy was invited, the Tokugawa shogunate presented the Castella.^[8] Over the years, the taste changed to suit Japanese palates.

Varieties

There are now many varieties made with ingredients such as powdered green tea, brown sugar, and honey. They may be molded in various shapes; a popular Japanese festival food is baby castella, a bite-sized version.

Siberia, castella cake filled with yōkan (sweet bean jelly), was popular in the Meiji era; it had a resurgence since it appeared in the 2013 animated film The Wind Rises, by Hayao Miyazaki.^[9]

Castella mix is used for the pancakes that are sandwiched together with sweet adzuki bean paste in the confection known as dorayaki.

Main manufacturers

• Founded in 1624: Castella Honke Fukusaya (Nagasaki City, Nagasaki Prefecture)

• Founded in 1681: Shooken (Nagasaki City, Nagasaki Prefecture)

• Founded in 1900 (Meiji 33): Bunmeido (Nagasaki City, Nagasaki Prefecture) Known for the phrase "castella first, telephone number second" and in the Kanto region, commercials of bear puppets dancing can-can dances.

Taiwanese castella

Castella were first introduced to Taiwan during the age of Taiwan under Japanese rule. In 1968, Ye Yongqing, the owner of a Japanese bakery in Taipei named Nanbanto, partnered with the Japanese company Nagasaki Honpu to establish a castella business.^[10]

Taiwanese style castella is generally more soufflé-like than the Japanese variety with a custard like center.^[11] A speciality of Tamsui is a simple pillow shaped castella cake.^[12] Taiwanese style castella has been introduced into Japan.^[11]