Siberia, unusual confectionery that has been loved for 108 years; Rare treat that was once everywhere

Since its opening in 1916, Kotei Bakery near JR Sakuragicho Station has sold a pastry called siberia, a slice of yokan bean jelly sandwiched between pieces of sponge cake. When the pastries are placed on old wooden racks, they resemble piano keys.

There was a time when the bakery had an adjacent cafe and sold snacks from other stores. However, since the third owner, Toshio Manaka, built the current store in 1979, the model has changed and only home-made items are sold. Siberia is the most beloved pastry of the people who come to the small Yokohama shop and crave its soft sweetness so much that it always sells out early in the afternoon.

The process of baking and cutting the cakes into 96 triangular pieces takes six hours. Manaka, 75, and his wife Itsuko, 69, get up at midnight every day to go to work before the store opens at 9 a.m.

Pouring warm liquid yokan into the sponge cakes in wooden frames requires a little skill. Depending on when you pour it, the yokan may soak into the cake or become too firm to stick properly, causing it to fall apart.

Siberia cakes first emerged in the second half of the Meiji period (1868-1912). There are several theories about the origin of the strange name: the yokan part resembles the Trans-Siberian Railroad running through a large snow field, or perhaps it was invented by a pastry chef who served in the Russo-Japanese War.

“My favourite [theory] is that “Siberia is extremely cold, and the inventor took pity on the yokan and wrapped it in an overcoat of sponge cake,” Manaka said.

The cakes are said to have been made at any bakery during the Taisho period (1912-1926). Due to the difficult and time-consuming process, few bakeries make them today. Kotei has about 20 types of pastries on the shelves, including raisin bread and sweet amashoku bread, which has been sold since the store opened.

Manaka will eventually reduce the number of items in the future, taking into account his physical strength, but said: “I want to continue making Siberia cakes until the end.”

***

Kotei Bakery

Address: 2-63 Hanasakicho, Naka Ward, Yokohama

Access: Three minutes’ walk from Sakuragicho Station on the JR Keihin-Tohoku or Negishi lines.

Opening hours: 9am to 6pm (10am to 6pm on public holidays). Closed on Sundays.