Colored hamburger buns are the new big trend abroad, it would seem. Burger King Japan is the latest to join the ranks of alternative-color buns with its "Premium Kuro Burger," which aptly translates to "Black Burger."

burger king black bun

OCWeekly's Chain Reaction blog brings us word that the buns are colored with bamboo charcoal that's mixed into the dough. The ketchup is black, too -- it's flavored with squid ink.

The burger's release on September 28 is set to coincide with the fifth anniversary of Burger King's first foray into the Japanese market.

Japan's "Kuro" burger comes on the heels of McDonald's pair of white and black-bun burgers, which set the internet a flutter earlier this month. It's unclear how those burgers got their hue.

Earlier this year, Belgian fast food chain Quick also unveiled its own dark bun burger timed with the re-release of Star Wars: Episode I in 3D movie theaters. The "Dark Vador" burger, associated with Darth Vader, features an unnaturally dark bun that left HuffPost editors scratching their heads.

We can't help but notice the word "premium" in the burger's name, which suggests that the "premium" trend we wrote about last week extends beyond U.S. markets. Data suggests that the use of the word "premium" has doubled since 2007.

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