Just like the U.S. with its east and west coasts, Japan is often split between east and west when it comes to culture. One of the more interesting differences (at least for me haha) is in the cuisine. The most famous culinary debate is probably the okonomiyaki (Western) vs the monjayaki (Eastern) battle. Like many companies, Mister Donuts has decided to use East vs. West as the theme for their new line of doughnuts, and they’ve come up with some really bizarre flavors…

Pon de Umaimon (Delicious things)

The top four are the flavors for eastern Japan:

Pon de Potato & Butter: Made with famous Hokkaido potatoes and buttercream. A gem that allows you to taste the umami of the East.

Pon de Zunda Mochi: The filling is made with zunda mochi and the softness of the doughnut puts emphasis on the mochi aspect. (Zunda mochi is a type of wagashi made with edamame and mochi).

Pon de Koshihikari Malt: Made with Koshihikari (popular type of rice) from Niigata and sweetened with malt.

Pon de Monja: Created the runny and sticky consistency of monjya with cabbage and corn, and added shrimp flavor to make it savory.

The bottom four are for western Japan:

Pon de Red Bean Paste Toast: Filled with sweet red bean paste and a touch of buttercream.

Pon de Okonomiyaki: Includes okonomiyaki sauce, cabbage, pork belly, pickled red ginger, and even katsuobushi.

Pon de Muscat: The filling imitates the juiciest of the muscat grape as well as its subtle sweetness.

Pon de Mango: Simply made with mango flavored filling and sprinkled mango flavored sugar on top.

I’m a simple glazed doughnut kind of person, so none of these seem remotely appetizing to me. What about you guys? Poll in below!



What do you guys think of the Pon de Umaimon doughnuts?