Kanpan: Japanese Hardtack as Emergency Food

Japan is the land of earthquakes and typhoons, so many people have emergency food at home just in case. 

In fact, in a closet of my house, there is a bunch of instant cup ramen, instant miso soup, and bottles of water for such natural disasters,

and what I introduce here, Kanpan (乾パン), is also among them.

Kanpan (乾パン)

Kanpan (乾パン/カンパン), literally meaning dry bread, is the Japanese take on the Western hardtack.

The Japanese hardtack is said to have first been made in 1842 as a portable food for the military and used in times of emergency. 

Even now, it is favored as emergency food in Japan and is available in various varieties and forms.

For example, these biscuits are from Sanritsu Seika, a confectionery company in Hamamatsu known for Genji Pie.

These treats are baked in a far-infrared oven and are one of Japan’s most popular commercial hardtack. 

The light brown biscuit is like a plain cracker, neither so sweet nor too hard, and the calories per piece are about 10 kcal. 

The Kanpan has a hint of sesame flavor. It is easy to digest and contains 520 mg of calcium per bag (200 grams). 

Freshness Date/Price 

Although the freshness date of the packaged Kanpan snack is only one year, that of its canned version is five years.

By the way, the manufacturer’s suggested retail price of the canned Kanpan (100 grams) is 260 yen (about 2.4 USD).

Ingredients 

Lastly, let’s see the ingredients.

Based on the list pictured above, the Kanpan hardtack from Sanritsu mainly consists of wheat flour, sugar, shortening, sesame, salt, dextrose, and yeast. 

(Reference Page: Wikipedia 乾パン )