On The Menu | The best Japanese egg salad sandwich recipes use Kewpie mayo. US 7-Elevens, don’t alter it
- If you are a fan of what the Japanese call tamago sando, I implore you to visit the Kewpie mayonnaise museum near Tokyo
Congratulations, America. It seems that Japan’s vastly superior egg salad sandwiches – known as tamago sando in Japanese – might soon make an official touchdown in 7-Eleven stores across the US.
In July, the company confirmed it would be working with its international counterparts to introduce unique products from other markets – including Japan – to American stores. That came after American media had reported that Ryuichi Isaka, CEO of 7-Eleven’s parent company Seven & I Holdings, was considering building a supply chain to provide fresh food to its convenience stores across the US.
Since the July announcement, TikTok users have been posting “sightings” of egg salad sandwiches that have popped up in 7-Eleven stores in Orange County, driving speculation that the popular item will soon be launched nationwide.
The excitement is palpable. Tamago sando love runs deep among foreign travellers to Japan, though that may befuddle locals. It is often the first thing I grab when I get off the plane in Tokyo to stave off hanger while I head to my hotel, and sometimes I hoard one the night before an early flight out, for breakfast.
The late Antony Bourdain was a fan. In 2013, he posted a photo of a 240 yen egg salad sandwich with the caption “The Unnatural, Inexplicable Deliciousness of the Lawson’s egg salad sandwich”. Lawson is one of the main convenience store chains in Japan, alongside 7-Eleven and Family Mart.
