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'I'll Have Sushi And ... Cornbread?'

Cornbread is becoming the latest rage in Japan.

According to the U.S. Grains Council's (USGC) Tokyo office, cornbread has grown into a new food trend in Japan among professional and home bakers. In an attempt to ride the wave of cornbread's popularity in the country, the Council's Corn Food Promotion Program contractor, Satoshi Saito, has initiated a Web site dedicated to informing Japanese customers about the food.

The Corn Food Promotion Program is a joint effort between the Council and Japanese corn milling and food industries. The aim is to introduce new corn foods which allow Japanese corn millers to remain in the food industry despite a shrinking market. Decreasing corn grit consumption in the beer and snack industries have contributed to this market change. The newly launched Web site, simply titled "cornbread," is written in Japanese and uses historical stories, movies, and books to advertise the product.

"The Web site is a good resource for people who are just hearing about cornbread for the first time," says Hiroko Sakashita, associate director of USGC's Tokyo office. "The site introduces the characteristics of corn grits, meal, and flour which Japanese millers are producing. This helps Japanese consumers find the right type of grits with the right particle size needed for their cooking," she says.

According to Sakashita, Japan's supermarkets currently do not carry bags or boxes of prepackaged cornbread mix. The Web site will also include cornbread recipes targeting a Japanese audience. For example, the site's recipes use conventional milk or plain yogurt as a substitute for buttermilk, an essential ingredient for baking southern-style cornbread but a product not available in Japan.