The story of melonpan, a ubiquitous and beloved Japanese sweet bread invented by an Armenian immigrant to Japan, is a tale that I chased for two decades, and which brings together his story and my own. https://unseen-japan.com/melonpan-armenian-history/ - ThreadSky

riversidewings.bsky.social • 593 days ago

The story of melonpan, a ubiquitous and beloved Japanese sweet bread invented by an Armenian immigrant to Japan, is a tale that I chased for two decades, and which brings together his story and my own.

https://unseen-japan.com/melonpan-armenian-history/

Comments

scribe.bsky.social•587 days ago

You went to an Armenian church in Philadelphia? So did I! Was is St. Gregory’s by any chance?

riversidewings.bsky.social•587 days ago

I've been there many times, but no-- my father was pastor of the Armenian Martyrs Congregational Church in Havertown.

darthbluesky.bsky.social•593 days ago

dr nyri do not forget melonpanna one of the main characters in the classic anpanman series!

riversidewings.bsky.social•593 days ago

Thank you, Darth! That's true, melonpanna is pretty iconic as far as melonpan goes.

themckenziest.gay•587 days ago

Oh I cannot wait to read this

riversidewings.bsky.social•587 days ago

I hope you enjoy it!

megidolaon.bsky.social•587 days ago

@bellet.bsky.social

planecrazy.bsky.social•592 days ago

Glad to find you here? It’s still very much a random treasure hunt sometimes.

riversidewings.bsky.social•592 days ago

Been a hot minute. Nice to see you again.

planecrazy.bsky.social•591 days ago

You're one of the people with whom I somehow got disconnected on the "other site" as it all fell apart. Glad to reconnect.

riversidewings.bsky.social•591 days ago

I quote you constantly, when I explain to people the significance of Date Masamune having named his castle town 仙臺, and you're one of the handful of people with a Diyarbakir *and* Pittsburgh connection who I've met. I've missed you.

planecrazy.bsky.social•591 days ago

We may be going back to da' 'burg next week. My wife has stage 4 colon cancer and just had some palliative surgery. While she recovers she has a few more weeks before chemo starts again and this may be her last chance to travel there, so we're going to see friends and places. Bittersweet.

riversidewings.bsky.social•591 days ago

I am so sorry. May your travels be safe and the time ahead be as kind as it can be.

wordloaf.bsky.social•586 days ago

This is wonderful! I've always wanted to know more about this story. I'm guessing you know this already, but "hotel bread" is better known as Japanese milk bread, or shokupan, so in a sense Sagoyan (and choreg) inspired that bread too.

johnkaprielian.bsky.social•204 days ago

I was hoping you'd chime in! I want to learn more about the bread, too! If this is some sort of Japanese chores, I'm all in!

wordloaf.bsky.social•586 days ago

the tangzhong method is a much later addition to the technique of milk bread, but it's come full circle in my own choreg recipe:

https://www.seriouseats.com/choreg-armenian-easter-bread

riversidewings.bsky.social•586 days ago

Heyy, good point, I hadn't thought of that!

Thanks for reading and for the follow.

estarianne.bsky.social•592 days ago

メロンパン🤤

riversidewings.bsky.social•593 days ago

If you enjoy this article, please consider subscribing to my Patreon to help me make a living. You can also subscribe to my fourthwall or my Twitch channel.Thanks! http://Patreon.com/riversidewings

johnkaprielian.bsky.social•204 days ago

The article is wonderful and fascinating. My father did some advertising (and traveled there several times) for Japan Airlines in the 70s so we were exposed to Japanese culture very early for the US, but I never heard of melonpan!

riversidewings.bsky.social•204 days ago

Thank you very much for reading! It was a favorite breakfast item for me back in the day, and I miss it. it's hard to come by here in western Pennsylvania, and I can't eat wheat anymore so I'd have to make a facsimile myself.

johnkaprielian.bsky.social•204 days ago

I wonder if I can find it in H-Mart! I will look when next I am in one. These stories are fascinating. I recently learned about the Armenian church in Singapore, St. Gregory the Illuminator, that was founded in 1835!

riversidewings.bsky.social•204 days ago

Quite likely, in H-Mart! They do good with stuff like that. And yes, the Singapore church I learned about awhile back-- Aslanian's "From the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean" is a good book on Armenian trade networks that will situate that in context, if you're curious to learn more.

riversidewings.bsky.social•204 days ago

in a rather happy turn of events, Hovhannes Ghevenian's granddaughter actually contacted me after this went live-- she hadn't heard the story of her ancestor in this kind of depth, apparently. I was very grateful to have gotten to do that.

lizziedanger.bsky.social•593 days ago

Whoa!

foodycatalicia.bsky.social•587 days ago

As a teenager, I realised my favourite "Middle Eastern" restaurants were all run by Armenians (from Lebanon and Iran, mostly) and became convinced that they were the greatest cooks in the world, so this lovely story reinforces that.

riversidewings.bsky.social•587 days ago

As an Armenian by way of Lebanon: yup, sounds about right! Thanks for reading 💙

nicoleconlan.bsky.social•593 days ago

@razorlou.bsky.social

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