【Pork Cutlet】How Tonkatsu Evolved from Western Cuisine to a Japanese Classic

Hello everyone. Today, I will be introducing you to Japan's Tonkatsu. Tonkatsu is one of Japan's most iconic dishes, and its appeal is multifaceted. The coating of Tonkatsu is made with breadcrumbs, which are fried to a crispy perfection. This crunchy texture perfectly complements the juiciness of the pork, creating a delightful eating experience. In Japan, there are a variety of sauces specifically for Tonkatsu, which can be enjoyed together with the dish. These sauces have a perfect balance of sweetness and tanginess, further enhancing the flavor of Tonkatsu. Additionally, Tonkatsu can be enjoyed in various forms such as Taishakuthu Katsudon and Katsu Curry. This variety allows you to enjoy Tonkatsu in different styles without ever getting bored. Now, let's introduce everything from the classic styles to regional specialties within Japan. Tonkatsu was a dish that was adapted from the European cutlet and became an integral part of Japanese cuisine during the Meiji era. It is especially loved as part of Japanese cuisine, widely enjoyed by many people. Tonkatsu is easy to make at home and can also be conveniently purchased at the prepared food section of Japanese supermarkets. Despite its simple preparation, just coating with breadcrumbs and frying, it is a dish that brings joy to the entire family. Across Japan, there are numerous Tonkatsu specialty shops, making it a familiar and accessible dish for dining out as well. Tonkatsu served at Japanese restaurants offers a level of deliciousness and atmosphere that is incomparable to homemade versions. Many Tonkatsu specialty shops in Japan take pride in their unique cooking methods and sauce recipes, adding their own twists to enhance the flavor and service at their establishments. One professional cooking technique is called Kinkiri, which involves cutting the tendons at the boundary between the lean meat and fat to prevent curling during cooking. By cutting the tendons in several places, the meat is prevented from contracting too much, resulting in a beautifully finished product. The frying time and temperature are also crucial. Ensuring the inside is fully cooked while frying requires experience and skill. Professional chefs can judge the doneness of Tonkatsu by the thickness of the meat, the part being cooked, the sound, and the size of the oil bubbles, which is a technique beyond the reach of most amateurs. One professional method involves adding fresh oil to used oil to enhance richness and flavor, and seasoning the surface of the meat with salt and pepper before refrigerating it overnight to increase its umami and tenderness. At the same time, some chefs adapt to modern trends by trimming excess fat from the loin to create a healthier dish. Such meticulous cooking techniques and efforts to make fried foods taste lighter are the result of the chef's ingenuity and experience. Although it may seem like a simple dish of coating meat with breadcrumbs and frying it, Tonkatsu actually requires a high level of skill from the chefs. So, while it appears to be a straightforward dish, the intricate techniques and careful considerations of professional chefs make Tonkatsu truly exceptional. Katsudon is a dish where Tonkatsu is combined with onions and other ingredients, simmered in a sweet and savory broth, then coated with beaten eggs and poured over a bowl of rice. In recent years, various variations have emerged, including versions with the egg placed on top or with no egg at all, simply served with sauce. Unlike tempura, soba, sushi, onigi, or oyakodon, there are relatively few super-famous Katsudon restaurants. However, no matter where you eat it, Katsudon offers a reliable and comforting taste, making it a long-standing favorite among Japanese people. In Japan, dishes that are simmered with eggs and sweet broth, such as Tamago-don, have always existed. The addition of the sweetness of onions and the substantial Tonkatsu makes it even more delicious, layering delicious on top of delicious, resulting in an even more satisfying meal. When people crave a hearty meal, many think of Katsudon as their first choice. It's a very popular dish in Japan. The rich variety of Katsudon, which is probably still largely unknown to the rest of the world, is another appealing aspect. While the common feature is that Katsudon consists of cutlets on top of rice, the way it is enjoyed varies by region, adding to its charm. Miso Katsu is a specialty of Nagoya City in Aichi Prefecture, and its defining feature is the red miso-based sauce. The composition of the sauce varies by restaurant, so even the same Miso Katsu can have different flavors depending on where you eat it. Miso Katsu is commonly enjoyed not only in Aichi Prefecture but also throughout the Tokai region. In Aichi Prefecture, particularly in Nagoya City, Miso Katsu is served with a sauce made from soybean miso. This is because soybean miso is commonly used in Aichi Prefecture. Soybean miso is primarily produced in the Tokai region and is used in various dishes for flavoring. Miso Katsu was inspired by tempura rice bowls. After the war, the previous owner, who ran a sober restaurant serving tendon in Asakusa, returned to Nagoya. He thought, if you can make sauce with soy sauce, you can do it with miso, and started using Hacho Miso, a famous local ingredient in Nagoya, as the sauce. The culture of soybean miso has remained strong to this day, leading to the creation of various miso dishes, which have become known outside the prefecture as well. Alongside dishes like Miso Nikomi Udon, Miso Oden, and Miso Katsu, another beloved dish in Aichi Prefecture is Enai Miso. Also known as Miso Enai, this dish involves simmering various ingredients in miso. Surprisingly, the flavor is not heavy but rather mellow and rich with a distinctive sweetness. The taste can be quite addictive, and it is a regional dish that can only be found in the Tokai region of Japan. Tear Katsudon and Sauce Katsudon are local dishes commonly found in the Tohoku region, with Nagata and Fukui prefectures being particularly famous for them. There is no clear evidence regarding the origins of both egg-topped katsudon and sauce katsudon. Many believe they were created during the late Taisho to early Showa periods and have been loved by locals for decades since then. Tear Katsudon, a beloved local gourmet dish, has been enjoyed for many years. Unlike the typical egg-topped katsudon, Tear Katsudon features a thinner coating and uses thinner cuts of pork. Freshly fried katsu is dipped in a sweet and savory soy sauce-based tear and placed on top of rice, making it a simple yet delicious dish. Nowadays, you can find Tear Katsudon in many restaurants within Nagata city, but each establishment may refer to it differently as Katsudon, Tear Katsudon, or Katsu-ju, with varying ingredients and sauce flavors. On the other hand, the sauce for Sauce Katsudon generally uses Worcestershire sauce, resulting in a different flavor profile from Tear Katsudon. A local specialty of Fukui Prefecture, Sauce Katsudon features thinly sliced pork coated in fine breadcrumbs and fried until crispy, then immediately dipped in sauce while still hot and served over rice. This dish originated at the long-established Western restaurant Europe Can in Fukui Prefecture. While egg-topped katsudon is commonly associated with the term Katsudon, in Fukui City, Sauce Katsu is more common both at home and in restaurants. Though they may look similar, Tear Katsudon and Sauce Katsudon taste distinctly different and are well-known representatives of Japanese regional gourmet cuisine. The roots of Tonkatsu trace back to the Western-style dish cutlet, which became popular in Japan during the Meiji era. The English term cutlet originally referred to bone-in meat from lamb or beef, but it eventually came to denote a dish where lamb or beef is breaded and fried in butter. Initially, fine Western-style breadcrumbs were used, but these absorbed too much oil and were unpopular with the Japanese, leading to the use of coarser breadcrumbs. This adaptation gave rise to the original form of Katsuretsu. Katsuretsu was originally eaten with a knife and fork. At that time, many common people were not accustomed to Western-style dining. They often struggled with the cutlery, applying too much force and causing the cutlet to fall off the plate or spill onto their clothes. About 10 years after the creation of Katsuretsu, Shimada, who worked at Pontiai, devised a version of Katsuretsu that could be eaten with chopsticks. The thickness was adjusted to 2.5 to 3 centimeters for better cooking, and it was pre-sliced into bite-size pieces before being served. This solved the problem of people getting their hands dirty while using a knife and fork. After the introduction of Buddhism to Japan, meat consumption declined, but during the late Edo period, Japan opened its doors to the world, and restaurants began offering beef dishes to cater to the preferences of foreigners who arrived. At that time, the Meiji government wanted to popularize nutritious meat dishes among the Japanese people. In 1872, when Emperor Meiji tried beef for the first time, the news was widely reported in newspapers, sparking a boom in beef hot pot and cutlets. The difference from Katsuretsu is that Tonkatsu uses thick-cut meat, is deep-fried in plenty of like tempura, and is typically served with shredded cabbage, rice, and miso soup. To suit Japanese eating habits, Tonkatsu was pre-cut into bite-size pieces and served with rice, miso soup, and pickles, making it easier to eat with chopsticks. From this time onward, Tonkatsu became recognized as a Japanese national dish, considered more of a washiku than a Western dish. Deep-fried to suit the Japanese palate, Tonkatsu has become a staple, and there are many specialized restaurants dedicated to it. Today, numerous variations of Tonkatsu-based dishes have been created, such as the Katsu Sandwich, which features Tonkatsu as a sandwich filling, and the now-classic Katsu Curry. Other popular fried dishes include Ebi Fry, Kaki Fry, Aji Fry, and Menchi Katsu, all of which fall under the category of fry in our beloved menu items. Through various developments, Tonkatsu evolved from a Western-style pork cutlet to a quintessential Japanese Tonkatsu, becoming a favorite food of the Japanese people. Tonkatsu has continued to be loved by the Japanese people as a special treat in everyday life. Now, over 100 years since its creation, Tonkatsu has crossed borders and become acclaimed as a fantastic representative of Japanese cuisine. The technique of adjusting the oil temperature while thoroughly cooking the thick meat is considered an unusual cooking method by foreigners. The inside is juicy, the outside is crispy, and it is served with fresh cabbage, palate-cleansing miso soup, and rice, which pairs perfectly with the sauce meat. Perhaps the world is not yet fully aware of the rich variety of Tonkatsu. If you have the chance, why not try authentic Tonkatsu? Thank you for watching.