Parfait as Japanese culture

We believe that parfait is a manifestation of modern Japanese culture .

As is often said, parfait originated in France .

French parfait refers to ice cream on a flat plate as parfait. However, this is very far from the Japanese parfait of today.

An often overlooked part of parfait history is the American parfait.

There is a sundae that originated in America. Born in France, parfait crossed over to the United States before coming to Japan. So, by encountering sundae, it became the parfait in the current glass.

Well then, are we eating American parfaits now? Simply put, American parfaits are very difficult to distinguish from sundaes. It's basically a simple composition consisting of fruit, corn flakes, whipped cream, and ice cream.

However, Japanese parfaits are complex and delicate . When American parfait came to Japan, it became entwined with Japan's water confectionery culture and shrinkage . Japan has a culture that treats fruit as a luxury item from the beginning, and even in Japanese cuisine, there is a culture of enjoying sweets without processing fruit. And there is a shrink-oriented culture that tries to express the world in a small and limited range, as represented by haiku, kadomatsu, and tea rooms.

In response to this, Japanese parfaits are far from American parfaits, and a culture of how to enjoy high-end fruit in a glass and how to express the world in a glass has developed.

In this way, parfait was born in France, passed through the United States, and blossomed in Japan.

However, can we say that what was born in another country is Japanese culture?

We think parfait is the same as tea ceremony . Okakura Tenshin said that the tea ceremony was born in China, but developed in Japan and became a Japanese culture. In the same way, I believe that parfait, which was born in the West, developed independently in Japan and became a part of Japanese culture.

Our concept of Japanese parfait is complex, delicate, and contains a story .

Such parfait is becoming more popular in Japan, but it cannot be said that it is common yet. However, more than 100 years have passed since parfait was first offered in Japan. Parfait may not be a familiar image, but it appears at convenience stores, conveyor belt sushi chains, and even high-end French restaurants.

Parfait as a modern Japanese culture has already taken root.

QeFare will try to spread its branches and leaves more.

You, who are living in the present, are also one of the people responsible for the current Japanese culture.

Let's shape the culture together.