Soft white sponge cake may not be the first dessert of Christmas, but in Japan, cake is king. Although less than 1% of Japanese consider themselves Christians, Christmas cheers are common in this island country. There are many Santas, Christmas tree decorations, lighting and children's gifts. But in Japan, nothing can explain Christmas better than Christmas cake. This ubiquitous dessert is made of a round sponge layer covered with whipped cream, with strawberries in the middle and placed on it. This dessert is so iconic that you can even see its representative-emoticon cake on your mobile phone.

Christmas appeared in Japan at the beginning of16th century, when Christian missionaries from Portugal arrived in Japan. However, this festival did not spread in the form of secularization and commercialization hundreds of years ago. Until the 1970s, Tokyo stores like Maruzen (a chain bookstore) began to make exhibits with Christmas decorations and sell imported greeting cards. In the decades before World War II, this country seemed ready for the cultural prosperity of the United States. Chaplin's visit to Japan 1932, Japan's first professional baseball team began to play, and Babe Ruth came to Japan to perform on tour, which was welcomed by hundreds of thousands of fans. Consumerism is on the rise, but it was forced to retreat because the Japanese empire was involved in World War II. Soon, the slogan "luxury is the enemy" can be seen everywhere.

Before the war, the Japanese hospitality was divided into two categories. Wagashi (Japanese sweet food) is a more traditional variety, made of bean paste and rice flour with a little sugar. On the other side is yogurt (a western dessert), which is similar to chocolate and made of rare ingredients such as milk and butter. Yoga is a symbol of wealth, status and modernity, but it is almost impossible to find it in wartime. 1944, due to food shortage, Japan * * * stopped the official distribution of sugar; By 1946, a person's annual average sugar consumption is only 0.2 kg, which is equivalent to about four cans of cola.

After World War II, the United States occupied Japan from 1945 to 1952. During this period, the Supreme Commander of the Allied Economic Science Department was inspired by the New Deal and formulated a series of economic policies to help Japan rebuild its infrastructure. As the Japanese economy began to recover, the consumption of sugar increased again. Caramel and chocolate produced in large quantities like yogurt gradually flooded supermarkets, marking the improvement of national living standards. From the mid-1950s to the 1960s, the output of chocolate was five times that before the war, and that of cakes was 2.5 times that before the war. As the cultural anthropologist Hideyo Konagaya wrote, "Eating sweets, usually chocolate, is a tangible behavior, and they made some psychological achievements when they reviewed hunger decades ago. Kdspe Kdspe Christmas is an excellent opportunity to celebrate economic prosperity and the unique integration of Japanese and western cultures. English reading materials also mentioned this festival to help children get familiar with it, and soon there were several main ways to celebrate it: giving children toys, ordering KFC for dinner and eating Christmas cakes.

According to Konagaya, the cake itself has a strong symbolic significance. The round shape is reminiscent of other traditional sweets (such as hemp cake), and white is associated with rice. Red is an exorcism color. When combined with white, it is considered auspicious, just like the red on the national flag.

It was promoted by Fuji House Company, a Japanese candy manufacturer, but technological progress made it possible. Early sponge cakes were frozen with cream, because icing did not need to be refrigerated. But when most families started to own personal refrigerators, they used more advanced and fresh whipped cream. As for strawberries, they are rare and expensive commodities. Until after the Second World War, greenhouses and new agricultural technologies enabled them to be used in cold winters. Like cream and sugar, strawberries symbolize economic progress. Nowadays, strawberries are very popular in Mohji and other desserts, but their most representative use is still Christmas cake.

If Christmas cake sounds like an irresistible tradition, please follow the instructions in the popular Japanese cooking program "Cooking with Dogs".