The 7-Eleven Egg Salad Sandwich That Can Only Be Found In Japan
An egg salad sandwich may be one of the most mundane lunch foods imaginable. However, Japanese 7-Eleven has transformed the humdrum sandwich into an object of wonder.
Egg salad sandwiches are an unexpected hit from Japanese convenience stores or "konbini," like 7-Eleven, FamilyMart, and Lawson, which are known to be nicer than their American counterparts. Despite the sandwich's simple ingredients — mayo, egg, seasoning, and bread — customers love the tangy, umami-rich flavor of the filling and the cloudlike white bread. Japanese mayonnaise, or Kewpie mayo, is behind the texture and flavor of the egg salad itself, known to be an umami-heavy secret weapon in many recipes. Likewise, Japanese bread is known to be softer and fluffier.
In a TikTok video, a man tries the Egg Salad Sando — also known as the Tamago Sando — from 7-Eleven and calls it "the most beautiful sandwich in the whole world" and "the bite [he's] been missing most from Japan." Showing off the sandwich in the video, he raves about its texture, describing the extra-soft and fluffy Japanese milk bread. The TikToker also praises the egg salad itself as having "nice little chunky bits," a good amount of mayonnaise, plus a subtle layer of sweetness.
It's not your average American egg salad sandwich
The TikTok comments section was overflowing with FOMO from knowing tourists and former residents of Japan. Some wrote of other Japanese 7-Eleven foods they missed while others stuck to raving about the sandwich. One person wrote: "Miss this sandwich more than anything living in the States." Some viewers were skeptical that anything from 7-Eleven could elicit such a glowing review. One commenter wrote: "Egg salad from 7-Eleven? I mean, I trust you (kind of) but 7-Eleven?"
7-Eleven does sell an egg salad sandwich in the U.S., but may find it less exciting than the Japanese version. According to the 7-Eleven website, the American version appears to be served on regular sandwich bread and is filled with an egg salad made of "lightly seasoned hard-boiled eggs mixed with reduced fat mayonnaise and Dijon mustard." Reduced-fat American mayo is probably a poor match for the flavor-rich Kewpie variety used in Japan's egg salad, and that's without mentioning the differences in eggs and bread in the two countries.
Maybe the U.S. egg salad sandwich isn't as tasty as the Japanese version, but flights to Japan are pretty pricey, and you can get this sandwich for under $5. For those skeptical of stateside 7-Eleven food altogether, you can always try to imitate the mythical Japanese sandwich in your own kitchen.