Castella: 500 years in Japan

Spongy カステラ castella are one of Japan's favorite cakes. Available in a variety of flavors and even miniature versions ("baby castella") sold at festivals, the cake is a popular pairing with coffee or tea around the country.

Portuguese merchants first brought the cake to Japan in the 16th century, but it has gone through many refinements since then to reach its current form. They're particularly famous in Nagasaki, but are sold throughout the country.

One of the most famous brands of castella is Bunmeido 文明堂, which started operating in 1900. The company has diversified and now has several regional subsidiaries sharing the Bunmeido name.

One of these, Bunmeido Tokyo, has taken a bold departure in an unprecedented direction. For the first time, castella is moving into the field of sports supplements, offering a specially formulated and packaged version of their famous castella for sports enthusiasts called V!CASTELLA.

V!CASTELLA: castella for sports

According to the press release, V!CASTELLA is a sports food supplement recommended before and after exercise to replenish energy, improve concentration, and promote recovery from fatigue. Bunmeido Tokyo developed it to be easy to digest, easy to carry around, and able to provide energy quickly. Moist, tasty, easy to eat, and made by a trusted brand with a 121-year history of making delicious, high-quality products, V!CASTELLA is the perfect sports companion.

The brand's concept focuses on three Vs: Vitality (energy and endurance), Victory (achieving your goals), and Variable (a new, compact variant of the traditional castella cake).

Merits

Easy-to-carry bar form factor
A compact form that fits in a bag or pocket and can be opened and eaten immediately.

150 cal per bar (estimated value)
Good balance of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins; provides calories equivalent to one rice ball.
150 calories from a high-carbohydrate, high-protein sponge cake!

As with sponge cake, it's easily digested
High in carbohydrates, low in fat and dietary fiber, and quickly digested and absorbed, so you can turn delicious food into power right away!


Product details

  • Name: V!CASTELLA
  • Manufacturer: Bunmeido Tokyo, Inc.
  • Price: 2,000 JPY (including tax) per case (10 pcs.)
  • Calories: 150
  • Nutrirional information: Protein: 3.2g , fat: 2.5 g, carbohydrates: 28.4 g, salt equivalent 0.1 g
  • Ingredients: eggs, sugar, wheat flour, starch, honey
  • Best before date: About 3 weeks after delivery
  • How to purchase: V!CASTELLA special page at the Bunmeido Tokyo Online Shop.

By - grape Japan editorial staff.