Japs seem to be a northern thing, I expected you'd have 'em in Leeds.
They're small, round cakes - bout 3" high and 3" diameter. Imagine two layers of light biscuity stuff, with very thick layer of soft halfway-between-mousse-and-cream chocolately stuff between them. Cover the whole thing with pale-coloured chocolate cream and vermicelli.
They really are quite unlike anything else, which is why I miss them. No idea why they're called japs either.
You're right about the iced buns. This one had white icing with pink stripes which were sufficiently pale I didn't notice them. They tasted cerise, though.
If you have a Greggs nearby they should do cornedbeef pasties.
Only other reference I could find online was someone referring to them in a Manchester newspaper. But I asked my Mancunian wife if she'd ever heard of them, and she hasn't either.
I've asked around and Japs do not appear to exist in Leeds, not under that name at least.....
The cloest the natives can come up with is a "wafer slice".
Sigh, unfortunetly bakers are so not allowed to a man trying to lose some weight.... one day I might get my weight back down again and be able to walk into a bakers without crying...
> They're small, round cakes - bout 3" high and 3" diameter. Imagine two layers of light biscuity stuff, with very thick layer of soft halfway-between-mousse-and-cream chocolately stuff between them. Cover the whole thing with pale-coloured chocolate cream and vermicelli.
That's a fat wagon wheel covered in bits, isn't it?
And despite my description, japs really aren't very chocolately. It's quite a faint flavour (and actually, you can get coffee ones, too). I wish someone would come and help me out describing the damn things.
Sounds suspiciously like something I was feed in Germany under the alleged name of 'Niggerkusse'(!). They had coffee flavoured ones and melted quickly in the car as I recall. Not very nice, even given the chocolate componant. Germany + national cooking expertise =no comments...though they may be of an originally Turkish origin.
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timeasmymeasure
Re: I love bakers
Date: 2004-03-04 06:48 am (UTC)They're small, round cakes - bout 3" high and 3" diameter. Imagine two layers of light biscuity stuff, with very thick layer of soft halfway-between-mousse-and-cream chocolately stuff between them. Cover the whole thing with pale-coloured chocolate cream and vermicelli.
They really are quite unlike anything else, which is why I miss them. No idea why they're called japs either.
You're right about the iced buns. This one had white icing with pink stripes which were sufficiently pale I didn't notice them. They tasted cerise, though.
If you have a Greggs nearby they should do cornedbeef pasties.
Re: I love bakers
Date: 2004-03-04 06:56 am (UTC)However... japs sound extremely yummy. Mmm. That sounds like a good quest for the weekend! :)
Re: I love bakers
Date: 2004-03-04 07:00 am (UTC)Re: I love bakers
Date: 2004-03-04 07:27 am (UTC)(assuming I have any joy, of course... but I'm quite determined)
Re: I love bakers
Date: 2004-03-04 09:27 am (UTC)http://www.botham.co.uk/wordsearch.html
- a wordsearch game, with "chocolate jap" as one of the phrases. Also "ecliar" (and it's spelled that way in the letter grid too!)
Botham's are based in Whitby.
You can buy them online from India:
http://www.wengerspastry.com/shop/view_item_details.asp?CatID=35&ItemID=517&Category=PASTRIES
and there's a hint about how you might make them here:
http://www.deliaonline.com/deliaatlife/messageboard/view.asp?postid=993&topicid=8
Only other reference I could find online was someone referring to them in a Manchester newspaper. But I asked my Mancunian wife if she'd ever heard of them, and she hasn't either.
Re: I love bakers
Date: 2004-03-04 09:31 am (UTC)I don't think I'd want one after it had come from India. Not that I've anything against Indian japs, just I think it'd go off in the post.
Re: I love bakers
Date: 2004-03-04 07:19 am (UTC)The cloest the natives can come up with is a "wafer slice".
Sigh, unfortunetly bakers are so not allowed to a man trying to lose some weight.... one day I might get my weight back down again and be able to walk into a bakers without crying...
Re: I love bakers
Date: 2004-03-04 07:22 am (UTC)Oooh, no, I don't think so. Not wafery at all.
I wonder...
Re: I love bakers
Date: 2004-03-04 09:03 am (UTC)That's a fat wagon wheel covered in bits, isn't it?
Re: I love bakers
Date: 2004-03-04 09:09 am (UTC)Much nicer. Much lighter biscuit. Less jam.
And despite my description, japs really aren't very chocolately. It's quite a faint flavour (and actually, you can get coffee ones, too). I wish someone would come and help me out describing the damn things.
no subject
Date: 2004-03-04 12:21 pm (UTC)They had coffee flavoured ones and melted quickly in the car as I recall. Not very nice, even given the chocolate componant.
Germany + national cooking expertise =no comments...though they may be of an originally Turkish origin.
no subject
Date: 2004-03-04 02:21 pm (UTC)Very melty does sound about right, and to be honest I could imagine people not liking these, they are a somewhat unusual taste/texture.