3=Tonkatsu is a Japanese dish that consists of a breaded, deep-fried/tempura pork cutlet. It involves cutting the pig's back center into 2-3 centimeter thick slices, coating with panko, frying them in oil, and then serving with Japanese Worcestershire sauce, rice, and vegetable salad. The two main types are fillet and loin. Tonkatsu is often served with shredded cabbage, or on a bed of rice.
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 côtelette, 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 pork fillet or pork loin cut may be used; the meat is usually salted, peppered, dredged lightly in flour, dipped into beaten egg and then coated with panko 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, karashi, 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
Tonkatsu is also popular as a sandwich filling or served on Japanese curry. 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 shisoleaf 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:
In Isekai Shokudo light novel series, Pork loin Tonkatsu is the favourite food of Altorius who loves it so much, he strictly enjoyed it only with tonkatsu sauce and beer, refusing to even try any other variations such as Katsu Curry.
