When you walk down the streets of downtown Tokyo, and you hear local salarymen talking about maritozzo, you know that maritozzo is big in Japan. This cream-filled sweet bun first originated in Rome, Italy. But today, if you walk into a café or a pastry shop in Tokyo, there is a good chance that you will find it.

Over the past few months, not only bloggers and food-related media, but also major Japanese television channels have featured maritozzo. For example, last month Nippon TV tested and evaluated a wide selection of locally made maritozzo on one of their shows.

Many new places have recently added this item to their menus, and they have already had huge success selling it. What makes this trend more outstanding is that most of these places have their own special recipes. Our team paid a visit to some of these exciting shops to try their maritozzo.

Kaldi

If you are looking for imported food in Tokyo, Kaldi is one of the go-to shopping chains. They are good at setting trends and have a wide selection of products. Kaldi started selling their frozen maritozzo in November last year, and until the end of March, they had sold more than 300,000 pieces. We sampled some too: the cream was fluffy, and the bread was soft even after it had been defrosted.

Seven-Eleven Japan

The retail giant started making its own fresh maritozzo and selling it in their shops in the metropolitan area on 26 June. The orange peel in the cream makes the taste even lighter and more refreshing, and the berry sauce in the middle adds an extra layer of delicious flavour.

Dean & DeLuca

Fruits are frequently added to the cream in maritozzo. While the banana complements the cream superbly, the cocoa powder this upscale fine food and deli chain serves on top balances the taste perfectly. We loved it!

Tokyo Kaikan

This iconic meeting venue in Tokyo features a beautiful pastry shop in the lobby. As you can guess, the most recent spotlight in the showcase has shone on a carefully designed and deliciously prepared maritozzo set. They offer three flavours: rum raisin, raspberry and praline.

Italian food culture is a part of Japanese daily life. Maritozzo is a new item that has been added to the repertoire of dolce that locals can choose from.

In Japan, food and dining are central topics in the local media, and food items are always in the limelight. Discussions and opinion polls are everyday topics, and they provide information and evaluations on locally available food items and menus.

It is worth keeping an eye on the latest trends in Japan. They may become an opportunity for your food product. You could also get useful ideas on how to improve your promotion not only in Japan, but maybe in your home market as well.

Our team at TOO International continuously covers Japanese food trends. Follow our blog to keep tabs on the latest happenings in food in Japan.