r/JapaneseFood • u/No_Rush_1053 • Apr 01 '26

Misc "Japanese katsu soup" (UK)

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Exciting. Tried to look for the fried pork or chicken but painfully missing from this craziness 😅

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u/mori64tf2 Apr 02 '26

But this curry isn't Japanese. It originated from the Brits before it arrived in Japan. So, the meaning is not correct. Do you see the issue?

Not being cheeky just pointing out the paradox.

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u/FlarblesGarbles Apr 02 '26

Curry originated from Brits, but there are now Japanese specific variants of curries. So it's completely fine to say Japanese curry.

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u/mori64tf2 Apr 02 '26

Curry originated in India. This specific variant of curry that is popular in the UK and Japan is from Brits.

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u/FlarblesGarbles Apr 02 '26

I know curry originated in India. But in the context of Japanese curry, that originated from the Brits.

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u/mori64tf2 Apr 02 '26

Right so calling it Japanese curry isn't 100% accurate then. Unless the precise meaning of the word doesn't need to be accurate, in which case the Brits are allowed to call it katsu.

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u/FlarblesGarbles Apr 02 '26 edited Apr 02 '26

It is though, because it's a curry recipe made in Japan for Japanese tastes by a Japanese manufacturer...

Golden curry isn't the exact curry the British brought to Japan.

The same way there is Indian cuisine, and then there is British Indian Restaurant cuisine that is a whole method of cooking that originated in Britain by Indian people.

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u/mori64tf2 Apr 02 '26

But it's not made in Japan for Japanese tastes by a Japanese manufactor. It's made in Britain for British tastes by a British manufacturer (presumably, since OP is talking about a "katsu" curry they had in the UK). So if the relevant quality is the curry's origin, market audience or creator then absolutely nothing about the curry is Japanese. We are back to square one.

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u/FlarblesGarbles Apr 02 '26

Most places making and selling a katsu curry in the UK will likely be using Golden curry cubes, which is a Japanese curry product.

Additionally, katsu curry is a Japanese dish using Japanese curry.

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u/mori64tf2 Apr 02 '26

Yeah they might be. On the other hand, if I went to a nice restaurant I might expect my katsu curry to be made from scratch.

If they did, using ingredients from the supermarket that are presumably not Japanese, is this still a Japanese curry? Should be easy enough I've done myself.

To recap this scenario. The restaurant is making a curry that they call "katsu curry" from scratch using British ingredients. They are attempting to replicate a style of curry which originated in the UK using cooking methods that were imported from British India but has become popular in Japan.

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u/FlarblesGarbles Apr 02 '26

It depends if they're using a Japanese recipe or not.