Discover Crispy and Tangy Tonkatsu  Tonkatsu recipe  Follow PBS
Food on Pinterest  Tonkatsu is a dish I grew up eating and
knowing as Japanese food. To me, Tonkatsu is as Japanese as
chicken teriyaki, tempura and sushi. So why is it that when I
went to Japan, people looked at me like I’m short a few brain
cells when I called Tonkatsu washoku (Japanese food)?  Tonkatsu
recipe  Just as Americans are probably shocked to go to Japan
and find no California rolls at sushi restaurants, Japanese
tourists are likely dumbfounded when they come to the States and
can’t find Tonkatsu on the menu at Denny’s.  Tonkatsu recipe
That’s because in Japan, Tonkatsu is a type of yōshoku, or
“western food”. Even the name is half English. Ton means “pork”
in Japanese, but katsu is the transliteration of the English
word “cutlet” (pronounced ka-tsu-re-toh in Japanese).  Tonkatsu
recipe  As the name implies, it’s a dish that came to Japan over
a century ago by way of American trade. Since then, it’s become
a staple in most homes.  To