Nagasaki Chinatown · Braised Pork Bun
Kakuni Manju (Braised Pork Belly Bun)
Photo: Kanko* / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0
The filling descends from Chinese dongpo pork, which reached Japan through Nagasaki, the port that kept trading with China during the Edo-period isolation.
A thick slab of pork belly slow-braised in soy sauce, sugar and mirin is folded into a soft steamed bun, sold from bamboo steamers in Nagasaki's Chinatown and eaten on the street.
Why it's made this way: A Nagasaki confectioner created it as a handheld version of the dongpo-style braised pork served in shippoku, the Chinese-influenced banquet cuisine that grew out of Nagasaki's trade.
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Part of World of Street Food — 3422 dishes from 118 countries.
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