Burger King Japan creates Kyoto Whopper, its most Japanese burger ever, with Kyoto rice merchant

237-year-old Kyoto rice merchant helps make a new kind of rice burger.

Burger King, as the chain makes clear right from the start, is all about hamburgers, the most American of sandwiches. Meanwhile, Kyoto is the most quintessentially traditional Japanese city. In a case of opposites attracting, though, Burger King Japan is rolling out a brand-new Kyoto Whopper, mixing elements of American and Japanese cuisine.

The Kyoto Whopper uses Japanese-grown rice, but not in the way that we’re used to seeing. Whereas typical “rice burgers” use rice as substitutes for the bun, the Kyoto Whopper has a rice patty in addition to an all-beef one, sandwiched inside a sliced bread bun along with lettuce, tomato, and onion.

The rice patty is a blend of white rice from this year’s 2024 autumn harvest and genmai (unpolished brown rice). Since Burger King doesn’t have monarchy-level status in the world of rice, the grains are selected by Hachidaime Gihey, a Kyoto rice merchant company that’s been in business since 1787.

▼ Hachidaime Gihey and Burger King (founded in 1954) share a glance at their roots.

The Kyoto Whopper also makes use of an extensive mix of Japanese seasonings, utilizing four different kinds of dashi, the stock ordinarily used for Japanese soups. Bonito, shiitake mushroom, mackerel, and kombu (kelp) dashi all go into the Kyoto Whopper’s soy glaze, as do a quartet of traditional Japanese spices: benison togarashi chili pepper, ginger, sanho (a pepper-like spice with herbal and bitter notes), and chimpi (dried mandarin orange peel).

▼ A visual representation of the spirit of the Burger King/Hachidaime Gihey partnership

The Kyoto Whopper goes on sale November 1, priced at 990 yen (US$6.60), and though it’ll only be available for a limited time, it’s not limited to Burger King branches in Kyoto, but instead can be purchased nationwide. And if you’ve got a craving for more Hachidaime Gihey-produced fare, the rice merchant is also part of the awesome after-dark art exhibit going on at Kyoto’s Nijo Castle.

Source: PR Times, Burger King Japan
Top image: PR Times
Insert images: PR Times, Burger King Japan
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