Yes, you heard the rumours right – there’s a black burger on the market.
We’ve always known Japan not only as an economic titan but as a bastion of culture and fashionable trends as well. From Sanrio to Hello Kitty, Japan has worked hard to convince the world of its innovative, sometimes outlandish prototypes. Sushi, sashimi and the whole ensemble that make up traditional Japanese cuisine are enjoyed in every corner of the world. And who wouldn’t know the therapeutic magic that is the Karaoke which has made humankind much closer to music than ever before.
Ancient and tradition-bound as it may seem, Japan has always been the progenitor of the latest craze. So this black burger, found only in Tokyo and rest of the Nippon cities, should not be such a surprise. But still, the courage and boldness of Burger King’s franchise owners in Japan surprises us not because Burger King has not made any innovation in its menu, but because they have dared to tinker with the colour black.
For many, a burger cannot be black, full stop. But Japan’s Burger King has defied normalcy and invented what they hoped would set off the latest craze in fast food. The burger bun is black not because it’s burnt. No, in fact, it’s a freshly baked bun with the usual crunch on the outside and softness on the inside. The cheese, also black, but tasty and creamy like all other cheeses. And the garlic sauce, well, pure black, gooey goodness.
How they did it is in itself a masterful experiment. For the buns, they sprinkled edible bamboo charcoal on the dough, kneaded it to make the color blend perfectly with the flour and baked it into fluffy buns. For the black cheese, they whipped the same creamy milk and sprinkled the mixture with a good amount of bamboo charcoal before letting it set. And for the garlic sauce, you guessed it right! It is mixed with liberal amounts of squid ink to make it thicker, tastier and the blackest gooey sauce you’ll probably ever taste.
The Kuro Diamond and the Kuro Pearl burgers are regular features of the Burger King menu and attendants offer it to customers unceremoniously. Not to say that everyone would actually pick it right away for lunch. But for many customers adventurous enough to try it, black is indeed back.
Heather is a writer, photographer and explorer of the world with bylines in Archaeology Magazine, Porthole Cruise Magazine, Taste & Travel, amongst others. She is addicted to pen, paper, hotels, organisation and hippos. In addition to Travel Gluttons, you can find her over at Cloggie Central. 
