Castella (カステラ)

Castella (カステラ) is a popular Japanese sponge cake made of sugar, flour, eggs, and starch syrup, although its origins are found in Castilla (In modern-day Spain).

Now a specialty of Nagasaki, the cake was brought to Japan by Portuguese merchants in the 16th century. The name is derived from Portuguese Pão de Castela, meaning "bread from Castile". In the 16th century, the Portuguese reached Japan and soon started trade and missionary work. Nagasaki was then the only Japanese port open for foreign commerce.

Castella's simple taste is a favorite of many Japanese people. There are now many varieties made with ingredients such as powdered green tea, brown sugar, and honey. They may be molded in various shapes; a popular Japanese festival food is baby castella, a bite-sized version.

Photos:

"Peach castella" by photo taken by flckr user Kanko - flickr. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Peach_castella.jpg#/media/File:Peach_castella.jpg

"Castella" by Mahogany_h00r (talk) (Uploads) - Own work. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Castella.jpg#/media/File:Castella.jpg