Japanese Curry - Overview

Overview

As curry rice was introduced to Japan via English cuisine, it was originally considered to be Western cuisine. This Western-style curry currently co-exists alongside Indian-style curry, which has become popular since the increase in Indian restaurants in the 1990s. A third style that combines these two, original curry (オリジナルカレー, orijinaru karē?), is also available. Western-style curry draws its influence from stews mixed with curry powder, which were popular amongst the British Navy. The Imperial Japanese Navy adopted curry from the Royal Navy, and now the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force's Friday menu is curry rice.

In the Kansai region, beef curry is most common, while in the Kantō region pork curry is most popular. This contrasts with South Asian curries where, due to the strong influence of Hinduism (which proscribes beef) and Islam (which proscribes pork), vegetarian, chicken and lamb curries are most common.