There are many sweets stores in Japan, but right now there’s one that’s on everyone’s lips: Ginza Tsuki to Hana (Ginza Moon and Flower). Located in Tokyo’s upmarket Ginza neighborhood, this store specializes in one thing only, Otona no Jam Pan, or Adult Jam Bread. The word otona is commonly used in the sweets world to describe an indulgence that’s designed for adult palates, with much less sweetness in the mix than treats enjoyed by children.
However, its literal translation as “adult” leads to some ambiguity from a Western viewpoint, especially when the adult jam bread looks like this. It’s hard to know whether the creator of this bread really knew what they were doing when they added the “adult” moniker to this round bun with a slit in the center, but the store claims it’s totally innocent, describing its use of “otona” with the following statement: “The jam we use at our store focuses on the sourness of fruits rather than the sweetness, and has a sugar content (sweetness) that is about half that of commercially available jams. We do this because when the sugar content is raised, all fruits begin to taste similar.
..As a result, even though the sugar content is low, we have achieved a rich flavor that brings out the sugar content, acidity, and aroma of the fruit itself.
This is why it’s a jam pie that’s strictly for adults.” ▼ In Japan, breads filled with jam or sweet pastes usually look like this, so the “adult” version has an elevate.
