Although corn potage is so beloved in Japan, it is actually a mysterious dish when it comes to its origins. This is because the word "potage" is French. People tend to think that this soup originated in France, but there is no corn potage in France or anywhere else outside of Japan. Many "Yoshoku" (Western-style dishes created in Japan) are inspired by French cuisine, so it is not surprising that it can be confusing to know where they really come from. Nevertheless, the mystery of corn pottage only deepens, as there is no written history that it originated in Japan either. Examples of French-inspired Japanese "Yoshoku" dishes Korokke Doria Cream stew There is a similar soup in US called corn chowder, but it is actually very different from corn potage when compared. However, a collection of soup recipes published in the 1960's Japanese cookbook called "The Soup Book" (スープの本) contains a soup very similar to today's corn potage. This at least proves that a similar dish existed around the 1960's. But we don't know why it became such a popular dish. What is certain here is that no other nation in the world loves corn potage as much as the Japanese do.