Tokyo. Israeli pretzels on their way
Photo: Reuters
Israeli cookies take Japan by storm
Tokyo company orders NIS 1.5 million worth of Abadi Bakery products after tasting Jerusalem-made cookies at int'l food festival. Bakery's owner: Jerusalemite pretzel will take over Japan
From Jerusalem to Tokyo: A Japanese firm has decided to purchase massive amounts of the popular Abadi cookies, which have been selling in Israel for decades.
The Abadi Bakery was founded in Syria and reopened at the Mahane Yehuda open market in Jerusalem 70 years ago. The bakery's bagel-shaped cookies had already conquered Israel, and may also become a big hit in Japan.
How did the Japanese come to discover the Israeli cookies? Officials at the Israeli embassy in Tokyo said that a local food company first came across the cookies at an international food festival.
The company's representatives ordered several cases of the Israeli bakery's products. In taste test conducted by the firm, the cookies received very high results, although pastries are usually not very popular in Japan.
In wake of the enthusiastic responses, the company decided to order 230,000 packages containing 4.1 million cookies, for NIS 1.5 million (USD 350,000).
The bakery's owner, Yossef Abadi, expressed satisfaction over the deal: "The Japanese have conquered Israel with their sushi, and we will take over Japan with the Jerusalemite pretzel."
