Poppo Yaki: Niigata’s bread-like Brown Stick Cake
Today, I went for a drive to Matsunoyama Onsen (松之山温泉), situated in Tokamachi City, Niigata, to enjoy its hot spring bath.
The Onsen is a nationally famous hot spring resort, generally known as one of Japan’s 3 Best Medicinal Onsen (日本三大薬湯).
This time, I visited the spa facility named Yunoyama (湯の山) (Google Maps) for the first time.
But the hot spring water was so good that I was fully relaxed and could recover from the fatigue!
After taking the hot spring bath, I headed to the souvenir shop in the facility to hunt for something interesting.
And there, I found my favorite local snack, Poppo Yaki (ぽっぽ焼), on sale, and I grabbed one.
Poppo Yaki (ぽっぽ焼)
On the way home from the spa facility, I enjoyed these bread-like brown stick cakes Poppo Yaki,
a specialty of the northern regions of Niigata, made by baking a mixture of soft flour, brown sugar, carbonic acid, alum, and water.
As you can see in the photo, Poppo Yaki has a thick rectangular bar shape. It is soft and chewy, featuring a gentle sweetness from brown sugar.
The local confection tastes just like brown sugar bread, and I have loved its good and old taste since I was a kid!
Where to Buy
Poppo Yaki is available at some souvenir shops in Niigata. Also, it is a kind of festive treat that Yatai street food stalls offer.
If you plan to visit a summer festival in Niigata, you will probably see some Yatai baking the cake!
(Reference Page: Wikipedia ぽっぽ焼き )
