Japanese bread roll with fried wheat noodle fillings
A Japanese yakisoba-pan sandwich
Yakisoba-pan (焼きそばパン) is a popular Japanese food in which yakisoba is sandwiched between
an oblong white bread roll resembling an American hotdog bun known as koppe-pan.[1]
This high-carbohydrate food item is essentially a sandwich with a filling of fried wheat noodles.[2]
Omura describes it succinctly as a "Japanese noodle bun."[3]
Behymer more loosely terms it a "spaghetti sandwich" and it has also been portrayed as
a Japanese stir-fried noodle sandwich.[4]
Moreover, scenes of young people eating this high-carb food in Japanese films such as "Hanataba mitaina koi o shita"
[花束みたいな恋をした, I fell in love like a bouquet] or "Shitsuren meshi" [失恋めし, Heartbreak on a Plate] further attest to its cultural ubiquity in Japan.[5][6]
History and variants
There are various theories about the origin of yakisoba-pan.
Most concur that it took off during the 1950s.
In that era, the United States flooded Japanese markets with cheap flour products; by 1955, it was appearing in department stores in Tokyo and soon nationwide.[7][8]
Today, yakisoba-pan is widely sold in convenience stores and bakeries,
not only in Japan but also in some overseas locations,[9][10] as well as school canteens.[11]
Numerous variations of this product exist in terms of seasonings, noodle thickness,
and noodle length. Some versions of yakisoba-pan come with red pickled ginger and mayonnaise.
Others feature a bit of parsley or lettuce.
Since its ingredients tend to be cheap, this product is generally inexpensive.[12][13]
