--- description: Breaking news and analysis from time.com. Politics, world news, photos, video, tech reviews, health, science, and entertainment news. title: Turning Spice ​​I​​nto a Staple image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd380ad5c9c09036d/6a4b5266d2f3f9abc09740e2/0AA77849E8CA445390235F36FFEC1F86.png?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- # Turning Spice ​​I​​nto a Staple   Yōshoku, or Western-style dishes with a uniquely Japanese twist, is a beloved staple across the country. Curry rice in particular stands out as a national favorite, served everywhere from upscale restaurants to school lunches. Japan now offers over 3,000 varieties of ready-to-eat, retort-style curries alone. During the early 20th century, Hachi Foods, then a trader of spices and traditional medicines, used its expertise to develop Japan’s first domestically-produced curry powder in 1905\. Reflecting on this legacy, President Shinichi Takahashi notes, “This richness of variety is a key feature of Japan’s food manufacturing industry.” Today, Hachi offers a diverse lineup that includes pasta sauces, seasonings and soups. Throughout its 180-year history, Hachi has adapted to changing tastes with quick-to-prepare, gluten-free and low-carb varieties. “It is paramount that we listen carefully to consumers,” said Takahashi. He also highlighted Hachi’s contribution to regional farming, nutrition programs for students, disaster relief and environmental conservation. “These activities are carried out nationwide under our corporate philosophy of contributing to society through food,” he said. Turning Spice ​​I​​nto a Staple ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/branded-content/global-kigyo/turning-spice-into-a-staple/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/branded-content/global-kigyo/turning-spice-into-a-staple/"},"headline":"Turning Spice ​​I​​nto a Staple","datePublished":"2026-06-18T14:27:56.732Z","dateModified":"2026-06-09T07:28:00.957Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/branded-content/global-kigyo/turning-spice-into-a-staple/","keywords":[],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[],"articleSection":"","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/branded-content/global-kigyo/turning-spice-into-a-staple/","name":"Turning Spice ​​I​​nto a Staple"}}]}] ```