Japan Airlines (JAL) will offer the popular station bento from Yonezawa, known as ‘Beef Right in the Middle,’ as an in-flight meal.
This meal features rice from Yamagata prefecture called ‘Domannaka,’ topped with beef soboro and stewed beef seasoned with a special sauce that has been unchanged since its founding. After much trial and error to ensure the secret sauce permeates properly, it was finally completed as an in-flight meal. This collaboration between an in-flight meal and a station bento is a first, with JAL Royal Catering preparing the meal.
The adoption of ‘Beef Right in the Middle’ as an in-flight meal is the result of a fusion between the passionate desire of Shinkineya’s fourth-generation president, Hyakuei Funayama, to let people worldwide know about the deliciousness of ‘Beef Right in the Middle,’ and JAL’s desire to “provide in-flight meals that bring smiles to people’s faces by exceeding customers’ expectations.”
The meal will be available from December 1, 2024, to February 28, 2025. It will be offered on flights from Tokyo/Haneda and Tokyo/Narita to Europe, America, Australia, and the Middle East in First and Business Classes, and on flights from Tokyo/Haneda to Bangkok and Singapore in First Class. In First Class, it will be served in a bowl, while in Business Class, it will be served on a platter as part of the a la carte menu after the first meal.
