Katsu curry () is a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

dish consisting of (

pork Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig animal husbandry, husbandry dating back to 8000–9000 BCE. Pork is eaten both freshly cooke ...

cutlet In cuisine, cutlet (derived from French ''côtelette'', ''côte'', "rib") refers to: # a thin slice of meat from the leg or ribs of mutton, veal, pork, or chicken # a dish made of such slice, often breaded (also known in various languages as a ...

) served with

Japanese rice Japanese rice refers to a number of short-grain cultivars of Japonica rice including ordinary rice (''uruchimai'') and glutinous rice (''mochigome''). Ordinary Japanese rice, or ''uruchimai'' , is the staple of the Japanese diet and consists o ...

and

curry Curry is a dish with a sauce or gravy seasoned with spices, mainly derived from the interchange of Indian cuisine with European taste in food, starting with the Portuguese, followed by the Dutch and British, and then thoroughly internatio ...

. It is served on a large plate and is typically eaten using a spoon or fork. The cutlet is usually precut into strips, eliminating the need for a knife. Generally eaten as a

main course A main course is the featured or primary dish in a meal consisting of several courses. It usually follows the entrée () course. Usage In the United States and Canada (except Quebec), the main course is traditionally called an "entrée". En ...

, the dish can be accompanied with '' fukujinzuke'' pickles and

miso soup is a traditional Japan, Japanese soup consisting of miso paste mixed with a ''dashi'' Stock (food), stock. It is commonly served as part of an meal, meaning "one soup, three dishes," a traditional Japanese meal structure that includes rice, sou ...

. In Japan, there are

fast-food restaurant A fast-food restaurant, also known as a quick-service restaurant (QSR) within the industry, is a specific type of restaurant that serves fast food, fast-food cuisine and has minimal Foodservice#Table service, table service. The food served ...

chains which specialize in serving katsu curry, with varying meats and types of curry. The pork cutlet can be substituted with

chicken The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated subspecies of the red junglefowl (''Gallus gallus''), originally native to Southeast Asia. It was first domesticated around 8,000 years ago and is now one of the most common and w ...

. In Japan, the name refers exclusively to a dish of curry served with a cutlet. However, in the UK, where the dish has become extremely popular in recent years, the name is sometimes erroneously applied to any type of

Japanese curry Japanese curry (, ) is commonly served in three main forms: (curry over white rice), (curry over thick noodles), and (a curry-filled pastry). It is one of the most popular Japanese cuisine, dishes in Japan. The very common curry rice dish is m ...

, with the curry itself sometimes referred to as "katsu sauce".https://www.joe.co.uk/food/mcdonalds-announces-new-chicken-katsu-wrap-in-new-menu-lineup-469005

History

There are three restaurants that are said to have been the first to serve this dish. The first theory is that ''Kawakin'' (河金), a '' yatai'' in

Asakusa is a district in Taitō, Tokyo, Japan. It is known for Sensō-ji, a Buddhist temple dedicated to the bodhisattva Kannon. There are several other temples in Asakusa, as well as various festivals, such as . History The development of Asaku ...

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, served it in 1918, and the second theory is that ''Ōroji'' (王ろじ), a yōshoku restaurant in

Shinjuku , officially called Shinjuku City, is a special ward of Tokyo, Japan. It is a major commercial and administrative center, housing the northern half of the busiest railway station in the world ( Shinjuku Station) as well as the Tokyo Metropol ...

, Tokyo, served it in 1921.Kazuhiro Ono (2007). ''Karē hōrōki (カレー放浪記)'', p.258. Soshinsya. The third theory is that ' ( 銀座スイス), a yōshoku restaurant in

Ginza Ginza ( ; ) is a district of Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo, located south of Yaesu and Kyōbashi, Tokyo, Kyōbashi, west of Tsukiji, east of Yūrakuchō and Uchisaiwaichō, and north of Shinbashi. It is a popular upscale shopping area of Tokyo ...

, Tokyo, served it in 1948.

Yomiuri Giants The are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams based in Tokyo, the other being the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. They h ...

player

Shigeru Chiba , known by the stage name , is a Japanese actor, voice actor, narrator, talent and sound director from Kikuchi, Kumamoto. He is affiliated with the talent management firm 81 Produce. He is most known for the roles of Yoshihiro Kira from '' Jo ...

, a frequent patron of the establishment, complained that it was too bothersome to eat curry and katsu separately, leading to the creation of the combination. Currently, the restaurant advertises the dish as the "original curry" and "Chiba-san's curry" on its menu.

Gallery

File:Tonichi Curry rice with Pork Cutlet.jpg File:カツカレー（栂池ヒュッテ）20201003-P1120381.jpg File:Pork cutlet curry rice of Katsuya.jpg File:いっぺこっぺのカツカレー2.jpg File:SM Katsu curry rice.JPG, Takeout katsu curry

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Katsukare Japanese pork dishes Meat and rice dishes Breaded cutlets Japanese rice dishes East Asian curries Curry dishes Japanese curry