Take two slices of white bread. Slather with margarine, sprinkle granulated sugar on each side and sandwich them together. Wrap in plastic and slap on a Union Jack.
Voila! You have “English Toast,” Aomori Prefecture’s signature snack that’s neither English nor toast.
More wartime staple than soul food to many outside of Aomori, English Toast is nevertheless one of the prefecture’s most beloved sweet treats. The numbers back it up. According to its manufacturer, Kudopan Co., they sell an average of 5 million units every year across the Tohoku region, with 90% of total sales coming from in-prefecture — no mean feat considering the local population only amounts to 1.23 million.