Tonkatsu

Lore & Background

Tonkatsu originated in Japan during the Meiji era in the late 19th century, derived from a French dish known as côtelette de veau, a veal cutlet coated in breadcrumbs and fried in a pan with butter. European katsuretsu was usually made with beef; the pork version was created in 1899 at a restaurant serving European-style foods named Rengatei in Tokyo, Japan. It is a type of yōshoku—Japanese versions of European cuisine invented in the late 19th and early 20th centuries—and was called katsuretsu or simply katsu.

Reader's Guide

Tonkatsu holds a significant place in Japanese culinary history as a prime example of yōshoku, the adaptation of Western dishes to Japanese tastes. Its creation in 1899 at Rengatei in Tokyo marked a shift from the beef-based European cutlet to a pork version that would become a national staple. By the Taishō era, pork cutlets had gained enough popularity to be counted among the 'three great yōshoku,' alongside karē raisu and korokke. The modern form of tonkatsu, distinguished by a thick cut of pork, began to be sold in 1929 in the Okachimachi neighborhood of Ueno, Tokyo. Its legacy extends beyond Japan: variations such as chicken katsu curry have become extremely popular in the United Kingdom, and the dish has inspired Korean dongaseu. Tonkatsu also appears in numerous forms, including katsudon, katsu curry, and katsu-sando, the latter invented in the 1930s by a tonkatsu restaurant manager to allow geishas to eat without smudging their lipstick. The dish's influence is seen in the distinction between katsu (for meat) and furai (for seafood), both breaded and deep-fried, yet separate from tempura.

Did You Know?

• The word 'tonkatsu' combines the Sino-Japanese word 'ton' (pig) and 'katsu,' a shortened form of 'katsuretsu,' an old transliteration of the English word 'cutlet.'
• The pork version of katsuretsu was created in 1899 at the Rengatei restaurant in Tokyo.
• The modern thick-cut form of tonkatsu began to be sold in 1929 in the Okachimachi neighborhood of Ueno, Tokyo.
• The katsu-sando (pork cutlet sandwich) was invented in the 1930s by a tonkatsu restaurant manager so that local geishas could eat without wearing off their lipstick.