Perusing the Burger King Japan Facebook page reveals that things aren’t too different than they are here in the United States. Burgers, fries, shakes, and all the other favorites. But the newest addition to their slate is something that looks a bit frightening:a black burger.
The guys from Spinal Tap would love it, but I don’t think I could wrap my brain around it. I’d rather eat a live squid or a McLobster. It just looks like a rotten sandwich.
Now, you’re probably saying that you’ve seen this before. This is the second coming of Japan’s black “kuro” burger, but the black bun also made another appearance back in 2012 in France at Quick restaurants. A tie-in with the re-release of Star Wars Episode One in 3-D, the Darth Vador burger featured a black bun and sent people into a fit.
The differences here are the dye used to create the black color and the addition of black sauce and black cheese. Instead of using normal cancer creating dye, Burger King Japan went a different route. From USA Today:
Burger King Japan will now feature a brand new burger, all-black from bun to bun. The Kuro Burger has bread and cheese, both blackened by bamboo charcoal, and a special sauce made from squid ink.
Customers can order either the Diamond or the Pearl versions of the sandwich, noted for Diamond’s increased amount of toppings on the patty.
Squid ink and bamboo on your burger, sir or madam? Choke it down and maybe we’ll let you wash it down with some nice warm crab juice. The Kuro burger is nothing new though and there is a long line of geographical and cultural differences on global fast food menus. It also is probably better than whatever monstrosity Guy Fieri is creating at the moment.
If you’re in Japan or you feel the need to quest and taste this black beast, it will be available on September 19th for a limited time. Enjoy.
(Via USA Today / Burger King Japan / Time / Serious Eats / Kotaku)