One of the savory breads originating in Japan is curry bread (curry pan).
It is a unique item born from the wild idea of wrapping curry inside bread dough.
While the beverage most associated with curry bread might be milk, we discovered that it pairs wonderfully with a certain type of wine.
That wine is one that is very familiar in Japan...
Here, we will explore wines that go well with curry bread.
About Curry Bread
Before confirming the compatibility between curry bread and wine, let's first learn about curry bread itself.
Curry bread looks quite similar to the "pirozhki" eaten in Russia and elsewhere, but it originated in Japan.
It is said that the prototype of curry bread was created in 1927 (Showa 2) by a bakery named "Meikado" in Fukagawa, which wrapped curry in bread dough and deep-fried it to resemble tonkatsu (pork cutlet).
While the "deep-fried & round" style is the most common image of curry bread, in recent years its forms have become diverse, including baked versions, square shapes, and variations with intensely focused, artisanal curry fillings.
As breakfast, as a quick bite when slightly hungry, or as a slightly indulgent snack—it remains a national staple food active in various situations today.
Understanding the Characteristics of Curry Bread
Now that we understand a bit of the history of curry bread, let's dive into the main topic: how to pair curry bread with wine.
Incidentally, this time we will consider wine pairings using very standard curry bread rather than modern evolutionary styles.
First, simply summarizing the characteristics of curry bread...
- Deep-fried bread dough
- Somewhat crispy dough
- Curry filling
It seems to look something like this.
By exploring these key points, we should be able to find the wines that ought to be chosen.
Now, let's promptly consider together what kind of wines pair well with curry bread.
Considering Curry Bread × Wine
Curry bread is a savory bread with a two-layer structure: bread dough and curry filling.
Therefore, it is necessary to consider compatibility with wine from two aspects: the "bread dough" and the "curry filling."
Let's look first at the compatibility of the bread dough with wine, and then the curry filling with wine.
Curry Bread Dough and Wine
When it comes to the bread dough of curry bread, as mentioned earlier, crispy dough & deep-fried are its defining features.
In other words, it might help to casually picture the batter of tempura or deep-fried foods.
First, considering the crispy texture, sparkling wine seems like a great match.
Also, because it is oily, pairing it with a Riesling that possesses an oily nuance could be interesting.
Furthermore, because there is a characteristic bread-like flavor, sur lie aged Koshu or oaked Chardonnay would also be good options.
Then, what about red wine?
Considering the aromas that arise from deep-frying and the moderate spiciness, Syrah, GSM (Grenache-Syrah-Mourvèdre), and Tempranillo would surely be reliable choices.
A fruit-forward red wine that can envelop the flavor of the dough would also work well.
Looking at it this way, curry bread seems relatively easy to pair with any wine, but the point that makes curry bread truly curry bread is that the filling is curry.
Even if it pairs well with the bread dough, unless the wine also matches the curry filling, the end result will fall into a mismatch.
Curry Bread Filling and Wine
In the first place, many people seem to think that "curry is hot and spicy, so it doesn't go with wine...", but in recent years, in the sense of progressive pairings, the opinion that "curry pairs well with wine" appears to be common.
For example, if you aim for a mellow pairing, white wines with fruitiness and sweetness such as Riesling, Gewürztraminer, and Silvaner are recommended.
If you want something spicier to enhance the heat, it is said to be best to pair with oaked New World Chardonnay, or red wines like the aforementioned Syrah and GSM.
However, when considering the compatibility between the curry filling of curry bread and wine, it may be necessary to think about it separately from general "curry × wine."
First of all, because it is important for the curry used in curry bread to taste delicious even when cold, moisture is cooked off to make it thick and concentrated.
Therefore, even if the selected wine matches the bread dough and also goes well with general curry, it may clash with the intensely distinctive curry inside curry bread.
So, what kind of wine is good for the curry inside curry bread?
One option we would like to propose is pairing it with red wines made from American grape varieties.
American Varieties That Pair Well with Curry Bread
Red wines made from American grape varieties are characterized by grape juice flavors, cotton candy notes, and perceptible sweetness.
Furthermore, with somewhat high acidity and restrained tannins, they leave an impression of being "intensely aromatic, sweet-and-sour, and easy to drink."
Because the dough of curry bread has characteristics of being oily (sweetness from oil), spicy, and crispy, it has, in a sense, a snack-like nuance.
And since the curry filling has the impression of a thick, rich medium-spicy curry rather than a loose, watery one, beverages that are "intensely aromatic, sweet-and-sour, and easy to drink" tend to match easily with the flavor of curry bread.
By the way, aged German Kabinett-level wines (sweeter styles) or honey-scented noble rot wines are also good, but they are hard to find and expensive, and few people would go that far for curry bread bought at a neighborhood bakery.
There are many American grape varieties in Japanese wine as well, and they are easy to obtain and extremely casual.
Considering the nature of curry bread as well, wrapping up with such a casual food pairing makes it much easier to try, doesn't it?
Familiar Alps Wine Concord × Curry Bread
Proof is better than argument, so we actually paired Alps Wine's ＜Shinshu Antioxidant-Free Wine Shinshu Concord＞, made from 100% Concord—an American grape variety—with curry bread.
＜Shinshu Antioxidant-Free Wine Shinshu Concord＞ is a red wine featuring an aroma reminiscent of grape juice and a soft mouthfeel. While acidity is moderate, the tannins are gentle, and the finish leaves a crisp impression that is not cloying.
The crisp exterior texture, the chewy dough, and the savory fried aroma match naturally with ＜Shinshu Antioxidant-Free Wine Shinshu Concord＞.
Although the curry inside is a medium-spicy style, because ＜Shinshu Antioxidant-Free Wine Shinshu Concord＞ has sweetness, the wine envelops it without any sense of discord.
Furthermore, the alcohol, acidity, and light tannins refresh the palate on the finish, so another key point is that your mouth does not feel heavy after eating.
Not meant in a negative way, but precisely because it is a very straightforward and simple-tasting wine, it may have been possible to pair it effortlessly with a savory bread possessing such strong individuality like curry bread.
Savory Breads as Wine Snacks Too!
Because curry bread is so everyday and familiar, some people might never have imagined pairing it with wine.
However, thinking about it calmly, you can see that it makes an unexpectedly wine-friendly, convenient snack.
By the way, other savory breads such as yakisoba bread, tuna mayo bread, egg and mayonnaise bread, and ham and egg bread might also pair nicely with wine.
Having such a wide lineup of fun savory breads is uniquely Japanese.
Not just as a snack or breakfast, why not enthusiastically try using savory breads as snacks for wine?
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