Published in June 2016
During her stay in the UK, Yasukouchi-san, a member of the Shirakabaha’s Curry Promotion Association, encountered pasties in St. Ives. It was from this encounter that the Shirakabaha’s Curry Pasty was born.
The UK correspondences filled with tails
Yasukouchi-san compiled her experiences during her stay in the UK in the essay collection “The UK correspondences filled with tails.”
In this book, her encounter with pasties in St. Ives is described. Let’s quote from page 135: “Cornish Pasty (crispy crust with juicy chunks of beef, potatoes, and onions), each costing 60 to 70p (around 100 yen), is large enough to fill both hands and piping hot straight from the oven. I thought it might be uncouth to walk and eat, but the locals were doing it, so I merrily devoured mine. I can’t quite find the right words to describe it… but the crust and the filling were both exquisite, better than any I’ve had elsewhere.”
“The UK correspondences filled with tails”
St. Ives is a small town located in the southwest of England, known as Land’s End. By chance, the food Yasukouchi-san bought at a shop where people were lining up was a Cornish Pasty.
The pasty she had in St. Ives was so delicious that it became an unforgettable memory.
A pasty is a snack with a raised semicircular shape, with the filling typically consisting of beef, onions, potatoes, and turnips. Its history is quite old, with recipes dating back to the 18th century. Even today, pasties remain a popular snack in the Cornwall region, where people enjoy them while walking and chatting.
Bernard Leach and “Marriage of East and West”
The “Shirakabaha’s Curry” was born when Bernard Leach, who was staying at the Yanagi residence in Abiko, suggested adding miso to the delicious curry made by the skilled cook, Kaneko-san.
The encounter with pasties in St. Ives reminded us of the serendipitous connection between Abiko and St. Ives, as well as between the Shirakabaha’s Curry and Bernard Leach’s ideas of “Marriage of East and West.” While Leach advocated for this concept, the Shirakabaha’s Curry Pasty might be a representation of it in food form.
After the pottery kiln he built in the Yanagi residence’s garden was destroyed by fire, Leach returned to England with Shoji Hamada and built a kiln in St. Ives. Perhaps both Bernard Leach and Shoji Hamada enjoyed pasties as a quick snack during their pottery work breaks.
Incidentally, the Tate St. Ives branch exhibits Bernard Leach’s works.
Commercializing the Shirakabaha’s Curry Pasty
Leach built the kiln in St. Ives in 1920. Exactly 90 years later, in 2010, the “Shirakabaha’s Curry Pasty” was sold at the bakery “Couronne” in Toride City. At the “Abiko Sky Festa” held in the same year’s autumn, the Curry Pasty sold like hotcakes, leading to an urgent need for increased production.
The advantage of pasties is that they can be easily enjoyed by hand. Furthermore, in 2013, Pasco also commercialized “Shirakabaha’s Curry Pasty” and “Shirakabaha’s Baked Curry Bun,” which were sold in Ito-Yokado (Chiba Toukatsu Area and Tokyo East Area) for half a year.
Curry Pasty and Curry Bun Sold at Ito-Yokado (2013)
Hoping for a Revival of the Product!
Unfortunately, pasties are currently not being sold. We occasionally receive inquiries about where to purchase them. We would like to revive the Shirakabaha’s Curry Pasty, which not only allows people to easily enjoy the delicious Shirakabaha’s Curry but also commemorates the connection between Bernard Leach and St. Ives.
Perhaps it is necessary to offer piping hot pasties like the shops in St. Ives do. Drawing on the experience of past Shirakabaha’s Curry Pasty sales, we hope to nurture the curry pasty as a sustainable product. We eagerly await the shops and companies that raise their hands and say, “We want to commercialize it!”