NIshima, Japan (AP) — Baumkuchen originated in Germany, but it has become a hugely popular snack in Japan. Prisoners of war on a small island in the west began making this sweet, and it flourished in their new homeland.
Now called “tree cake” because of its resemblance to a tree trunk with annual rings, this confectionery is considered a symbol of longevity and prosperity in Japan, where Baumkuchen festivals are held regularly.
Japanese-style versions of matcha and sweet potatoes are popular gifts for weddings and birthdays. Baumkuchen is sold in gift boxes at upscale department stores, and smaller, individually wrapped versions are available at convenience stores.
But the early days of this candy are linked to devastating earthquakes and two world wars.
Making Baumkuchen is one of the most popular activities. NinoshimaJust 20 minutes by ferry. Hiroshima. But visitors also need to learn about this sleepy island’s role in Japan’s wartime history, according to Kazuaki Otani, director of the Jutheim Ninoshima Welcome Center.
In an outdoor center built on the site of a former POW camp, amateur bakers pour the dough onto bamboo poles and roast it over charcoal. When the top turns a light brown, a new layer is poured, thickening the cake and creating a brown ring, adding a sweet aroma to the picnic area.
This is how Baumkuchen was baked over 100 years ago when a German confectioner named Karl Juchheim was imprisoned on the island.
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During Japan’s period of militaristic expansion beginning in the late 1890s, Ninoshima served as a military quarantine station while nearby Hiroshima developed into a major military base. During World War I, approximately 4,700 mostly German civilians and military personnel were interned in 16 concentration camps across Japan. German POWs on Ninoshima were given a “certain degree of freedom” and allowed to cook, Otani said.
Juchheim was running a bakery in Qingdao, China, then a German colony, when he was captured by the Japanese in 1915. Otani said he arrived at Ninoshima in 1917 with about 500 German prisoners of war, where he likely tried out the recipe for Baumkuchen.
When the war ended in 1918, Juchheim and about 200 of his fellow POWs remained in Japan. In March 1919, Juchheim’s Baumkuchen made its first appearance in Japan at the Hiroshima Prefecture Product Exhibition. According to historical documents, his homemade cakes were very popular and attracted large numbers of Japanese tourists.
The confectioner opened a Western confectionery shop in Yokohama, near Tokyo, in 1922. 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake With his business down, Juchheim moved his family to the western port city of Kobe, where he opened a coffee shop serving Baumkuchen. The person who leveled the store was US incendiary bombing In Kobe, two months before the end of World War II.
However, he remained in Kobe and grew his business. With the help of his wife Elise and dedicated Japanese staff, Juchheim Co., Ltd. continues to operate as one of Japan’s top confectionery shops.
(The atomic bomb that the United States dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, and the one on Nagasaki three days later had killed more than 210,000 people by the end of that year. In the aftermath, about 10,000 seriously injured people were transported from Hiroshima to Ninoshima for treatment and temporary protection. Experts say most died there, and many of their bodies have never been found.
Juchheim died of illness the day before, on August 14, 1945, at a hotel in Kobe. Japan announced its surrender.
“His bread baking was an expression of his wish for peace,” Otani said. “I hope that by telling visitors what it was like back then, it will give them an opportunity to think about peace.”
