PrintHistory 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.
Previously:
Western Origins of Japanese Foods
Curried Away
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8 Comments:
Mmmm.
That's it! I'm stopping at Go Go Curry on my way home tonight. :]
anglerfish96 at 4:37PM on 03/27/08
HELL YEAAH!!
You get ten points.
roboppy at 4:43PM on 03/27/08
I really thought it was an elaborate joke, but if it is, clearly the Japanese population are helping the Times pull it off. I think I'll skip this one.
Judith in Umbria at 4:59PM on 03/27/08
Judith, what makes you think it's a joke? I'm really curious.
maki at 6:25AM on 03/28/08
@Maki: I was wondering the same thing.. ;_;
roboppy at 11:38AM on 03/28/08
I've had some of that ketchup spaghetti....yuck, to say the least! I couldn't help but wonder how an *authentic* italian spaghetti would go over. ;)
Omu rice though....mmmmm!
CandyAddictSera at 11:45AM on 03/28/08
because yoshoku cuisine sometimes seems like our parallel evil twin universe's take, totally delish in a weird and warped way
methodp at 2:19PM on 03/28/08
@CandyAddictSera: 'Authentic' Italian restaurants do just fine in Japan, and live happily with restaurants serving yohshoku - just like Italian-American places that serve very unauthentic fare as far as the 'purists' go like spaghetti with meatballs and bright red sauce do in the U.S. (try finding that in Italy! But it's delcious anyway, no?)
maki at 3:11PM on 03/29/08