Katsu curry (Japanese: カツカレー, romanized:katsukarē) is a Japanese dish consisting of tonkatsu (pork cutlet) served with Japanese rice and curry. 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, the dish can be accompanied with fukujinzuke pickles and miso soup. In Japan, there are fast-food restaurant chains which specialize in serving katsu curry, with varying meats and types of curry. The pork cutlet can be substituted with chicken.

In Japan, the name refers exclusively to a dish of curry served with a cutlet. However, in the United Kingdom, where the dish enjoyed a surge in popularity in the 2010s, the name is sometimes applied to any type of Japanese curry, with the curry itself sometimes referred to as "katsu sauce".

History

Katsu curry with pre-sliced tonkatsu

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 yōshoku yatai in Asakusa, Tokyo, served it in 1918, and the second theory is that Ōroji (王ろじ), a yōshoku restaurant in Shinjuku, Tokyo, served it in 1921.

The third theory is that Ginza Swiss[ja] (銀座スイス), a yōshoku restaurant in Ginza, Tokyo, served it in 1948. Yomiuri Giants player Shigeru Chiba, 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.

External links

  • Media related to Katsu curry rice at Wikimedia Commons