By Maria Carcaboso Abrie
The Christmas marketing that led to Santa Claus swapping green for red is also felt here: the fast food chain Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) was responsible for establishing, after a successful campaign, one of the most popular traditions of Japanese Christmas: eating fried chicken.
Instead of chocolate or Christmas cake, sponge cake with strawberries and cream is the Japanese sweet of choice at this time of year and must be booked weeks, if not months, in advance.
The local confectionery and restaurant chain
The height of romance in
Although the origin of this tradition is unclear, some say it is due to the Japanese musical hit 'My Lover is Father Christmas', which topped the charts when it was released in 1982.
The song would be to
JAPANESE CHRISTMAS MENU
Local conbinis (24-hour convenience stores), restaurants and burger joints serve special Christmas fried chicken menus and
In fact, many outlets accept Christmas orders as early as late October to avoid long lines forming outside their doors on
The prelude to this custom is said to be the '
It is also said that the dish became the quintessential Japanese Christmas food after the first
Whatever the origin of this well-established custom, the fact is that fried chicken is not far removed from the original Japanese cuisine, which includes a very similar dish, 'karaage', the Japanese culinary technique to fry pieces of meat coated in panko batter.
Figures released by
CENTURY OLD CAKE FOR DESSERT
The reigning Christmas dessert for the Japanese is the strawberry cream shortcake introduced in 1910 by the
As
Now, cream cakes with strawberries on Japanese Christmas tables represent good fortune, and along with fried chicken and dates - replacing the baked turkey and after-dinner meals of the West -, have become beloved customs for generation after generation. EFE
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