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Tonkatsu | Traditional Pork Dish From Japan | TasteAtlas
Tonkatsu | Traditional Pork Dish From Japan | TasteAtlas
Tonkatsu | Traditional Pork Dish From Japan | TasteAtlas
Tonkatsu | Traditional Pork Dish From Japan | TasteAtlas
Tonkatsu | Traditional Pork Dish From Japan | TasteAtlas
Tonkatsu | Traditional Pork Dish From Japan | TasteAtlas
Tonkatsu | Traditional Pork Dish From Japan | TasteAtlas
Tonkatsu | Traditional Pork Dish From Japan | TasteAtlas

Tonkatsu

(豚カツ, とんかつ, トンカツ, Pork Katsu)

The breaded, deep-fried pork cutlet tonkatsu is a Japanese dish with a very recent history. It first appeared at the end of the 19th century as a type of yoshoku — the Western-influenced Japanese dishes — but with time, tonkatsu has become increasingly Japanized, widely available to the masses and thus more popular.


Tonkatsu is a dish in itself or, if married with other ingredients, it can turn into many of its almost endless variations; made like a sandwich, paired with ramen or rice, poured over with a thick miso sauce as done in Nagoya, or served with curry to make katsu karē.


As a result of such popularity, many other fried dishes were developed using ham, beef, minced patties, and chicken as substitutes. For serving, tonkatsu is sliced, then placed on a plate together with shredded cabbage. Rice and miso come in separate bowls, while pickled vegetables and a citrus-based sauce are placed on the side.


An essential element is the seasoning, traditionally either a type of thick Worcestershire sauce called sōsu or mustard.