Serious Eats
History of Yoshoku, the Japanese Version of Western Food
Katsu, katsu, and more katsu
Sushi and udon are popular Japanese dishes, but have you ever eaten Napolitan spaghetti (spaghetti rinsed in cold water and stir-fried with vegetables in ketchup) or menchi katsu (deep-fried breaded hamburger) at a Japanese restaurant? The New York Times profiles yoshoku cuisine, the Japanese take on Western food that originated in the mid-1850s and has since become an integral part of Japanese cuisine. Besides ketchup-ed spaghetti and deep-fried hamburger, yoshoku cuisine includes curry (thick and stew-like), omu rice (an omelet stuffed with ketchup-flavored rice), and tonkatsu (deep-fried pork cutlet).
Although these dishes may not be as well-known as traditional Japanese foods, I hope yoshoku cuisine can someday be as popular outside of Japan as sushi. Katsu in all its forms (although preferably pork-based and accompanied by a big pool of curry) has been one of my favorite dishes ever since I was little, and omu rice is another favorite of mine. My Hawaiian friend Kathy Chan told me that yoshoku is just basic food found in Hawaii, which tells me that I definitely grew up in the wrong state.
For more photos of yoshoku dishes, visit Japanese Restaurant Info. To make these dishes at home, check out some yoshoku recipes at Just Hungry.
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