is a Japanese dish that consists of a breaded, deep-fried/tempura pork cutlet. It involves cutting the pig's back center into two-to-three-centimeter-thick slices, coating them with panko (bread crumbs), frying them in oil, and then serving with tonkatsu sauce, rice, and vegetable salad (mainly cabbage). The two main types are fillet and loin. Tonkatsu is often served with shredded cabbage, or on a bed of rice (making it a ''donburi'' dish, called ''katsudon'').
Etymology
The word ''tonkatsu'' is a combination of the Sino-Japanese word ''ton'' () meaning "pig" and ''katsu'' (), which is a shortened form of ''katsuretsu'' (), the transliteration of the English word ''cutlet'', which again derived from French , meaning "meat chop".
History
Tonkatsu originated in Japan in the 19th century. Early katsuretsu was usually beef; the pork version was invented in Japan in 1899 at a restaurant called Rengatei in Tokyo. It was originally considered 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.
Preparation and serving
Either a or cut may be used; the meat is usually salted, peppered, dredged lightly in flour, dipped into beaten egg and then coated with ''panko'' (bread crumbs) before being deep fried.
Tonkatsu is generally served with shredded cabbage. It is most commonly eaten with a type of thick brown sauce called tonkatsu sauce or simply ''sōsu'' (sauce), ''karashi'' (mustard), and perhaps a slice of lemon. It is usually served with rice, miso soup and ''tsukemono'' and eaten with chopsticks. It may also be served with ''ponzu'' and grated ''daikon'' instead of tonkatsu sauce.
In addition to being served as a single dish, it is used as a sandwich filling or in combination with curry.
Variations
thumb|Tonkatsu restaurant ":jp:かつや" in Tokyo, Japan
Tonkatsu is also popular as a sandwich filling (katsu sando) or served on Japanese curry (katsu karē). Tonkatsu is sometimes served with egg on a big bowl of rice as katsudon.
In Nagoya and surrounding areas, miso katsu, tonkatsu eaten with a hatchō miso-based sauce, is a speciality.
Variations on tonkatsu may be made by sandwiching an ingredient such as cheese or shiso leaf between the meat, and then breading and frying. For the calorie conscious, konnyaku is sometimes sandwiched in the meat.
Several variations of tonkatsu use alternatives to pork:
* Chicken katsu () or Tori katsu (), which uses chicken instead, often appears in Hawaiian plate lunches.
* Menchi-katsu () or minchi katsu ( mince katsu), is a minced meat patty, breaded and deep fried.
* Hamu katsu ( ham katsu), a similar dish made from ham, is usually considered a budget alternative to tonkatsu.
* Gyū katsu ( beef katsu), also known as bīfu katsu, is popular in the Kansai region around Osaka and Kobe.
A similar dish with ingredients other than pork, beef, or chicken is called furai (fry), not katsu (cutlet), such as aji-furai (fried horse mackerel) and ebi-furai (fried prawn).
See also
* Japanese cuisine * List of pork dishes * Schnitzel
References
External links
{{Sandwiches Category:Breaded cutlets Category:Deep fried foods Category:Japanese fusion cuisine Category:Japanese pork dishes Category:Sandwiches Category:Fried pork
Etymology
The word ''tonkatsu'' is a combination of the Sino-Japanese word ''ton'' () meaning "pig" and ''katsu'' (), which is a shortened form of ''katsuretsu'' (), the transliteration of the English word ''cutlet'', which again derived from French , meaning "meat chop".
History
Tonkatsu originated in Japan in the 19th century. Early katsuretsu was usually beef; the pork version was invented in Japan in 1899 at a restaurant called Rengatei in Tokyo. It was originally considered 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.
Preparation and serving
Either a or cut may be used; the meat is usually salted, peppered, dredged lightly in flour, dipped into beaten egg and then coated with ''panko'' (bread crumbs) before being deep fried.
Tonkatsu is generally served with shredded cabbage. It is most commonly eaten with a type of thick brown sauce called tonkatsu sauce or simply ''sōsu'' (sauce), ''karashi'' (mustard), and perhaps a slice of lemon. It is usually served with rice, miso soup and ''tsukemono'' and eaten with chopsticks. It may also be served with ''ponzu'' and grated ''daikon'' instead of tonkatsu sauce.
In addition to being served as a single dish, it is used as a sandwich filling or in combination with curry.
Variations
thumb|Tonkatsu restaurant ":jp:かつや" in Tokyo, Japan
Tonkatsu is also popular as a sandwich filling (katsu sando) or served on Japanese curry (katsu karē). Tonkatsu is sometimes served with egg on a big bowl of rice as katsudon.
In Nagoya and surrounding areas, miso katsu, tonkatsu eaten with a hatchō miso-based sauce, is a speciality.
Variations on tonkatsu may be made by sandwiching an ingredient such as cheese or shiso leaf between the meat, and then breading and frying. For the calorie conscious, konnyaku is sometimes sandwiched in the meat.
Several variations of tonkatsu use alternatives to pork:
* Chicken katsu () or Tori katsu (), which uses chicken instead, often appears in Hawaiian plate lunches.
* Menchi-katsu () or minchi katsu ( mince katsu), is a minced meat patty, breaded and deep fried.
* Hamu katsu ( ham katsu), a similar dish made from ham, is usually considered a budget alternative to tonkatsu.
* Gyū katsu ( beef katsu), also known as bīfu katsu, is popular in the Kansai region around Osaka and Kobe.
A similar dish with ingredients other than pork, beef, or chicken is called furai (fry), not katsu (cutlet), such as aji-furai (fried horse mackerel) and ebi-furai (fried prawn).
See also
* Japanese cuisine * List of pork dishes * Schnitzel
References
External links
{{Sandwiches Category:Breaded cutlets Category:Deep fried foods Category:Japanese fusion cuisine Category:Japanese pork dishes Category:Sandwiches Category:Fried pork