1.
anpan; bean-jam bun
A soft bread roll filled with sweet red bean paste (餡), often topped with sesame or a salted cherry blossom. Created in Tokyo in the 1870s, it is one of the oldest Japanese-style breads and a bakery staple.
Also written アンパン. Everyone in Japan knows the children's hero アンパンマン, whose head is an anpan. In old TV police dramas, detectives on a stakeout eat anpan with milk, and the pairing is still a joke.
Common expressions
- こしあんのあんパン: anpan with smooth bean paste
- つぶあんのあんパン: anpan with chunky bean paste
- あんパンと牛乳: anpan and milk