| Katsu curry | |
| Country: | Japan |
| Year: | 1918 or 1921 or 1948 |
| Course: | Main |
| Main Ingredient: | , Japanese rice, Japanese curry |
Katsu curry (Japanese: カツカレー|katsukarē) is a Japanese dish consisting of a pork cutlet served with a portion of 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 water or 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 UK, where the dish has become extremely popular in recent years, the name is sometimes erroneously applied to any type of Japanese curry.[1]
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, 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.[2] [3]
The third theory is that (銀座スイス), a yōshoku restaurant in Ginza, Tokyo, 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.[4]