Katsu: Breaded and Deep-Fried Cutlets

Katsu entered Japanese cuisine in the Meiji era (1868–1912) as part of the broader adoption of Western ingredients and techniques. The pork cutlet was transformed from the European schnitzel into something distinctively Japanese through panko, the specific sauce (tonkatsu sauce — a sweet, complex condiment), and the accompaniment of shredded raw cabbage. The dish was thoroughly naturalised within a generation and is now considered foundational Japanese home and restaurant cooking.

Tonkatsu (pork cutlet), chicken katsu, and menchi katsu (minced meat) — a specifically Japanese deep-frying technique producing a dramatically crisper crust than any Western breadcrumb method. The secret is panko: Japanese breadcrumbs made from crustless white bread dried without browning, then ground into large, irregular flakes with high surface area. These flakes fry to a shattering crispness that fine Western breadcrumbs cannot approach.

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