Doing it the Japanese Way

摘要

ONE OF THE OLDEST examples of yoshoku (Japanese-style Western cuisine) is tonkatsu, or pork cutlet. Even today it is one of the most-ordered dishes in Japanese restaurants. The name comes from ton, the Chinese character for "pig," and katsu, and abbreviated form of katsuretsu, the Japanization of "cutlets."By the late 19th century, Japan had been open to foreign influence for several decades. However, beef products were still not popular, and much traditional French cuisine was unpalatable to a large number of Japanese people. The owner of the famous Tokyo restaurant Rengatei was faced with a problem-how to present French-style cooking in a way that would be acceptable to his customers. He hit upon the idea of using pork instead of beef, and for deep frying it in vegetable oil rather than panfrying it in butter. The result was a far lighter, much less oily product-tonkatsu. It was a hit! For a garnish, shredded raw cabbage was used. It was quick and easy to prepare, and in addition aided digestion and cut any greasy aftertaste.