View source for Tonkatsu

{{Short description|Japanese dish of deep-fried pork}}
{{Italic title}}{{Distinguish|tonkotsu ramen|tokusatsu}}
{{Expand Japanese|topic=cult|豚カツ|date=January 2020}}
{{Infobox food
| name             = Tonkatsu
| image            = "Amai-Yuwaku" Special Loin Pork Cutlet1.jpg
| image_size       = 300px
| caption          = Tonkatsu, fried pork cutlet
| alternate_name   = 
| country          = [[Japan]]
| region           = [[East Asia]]
| creator          = 
| course           = 
| type             = 
| served           = 
| main_ingredient  = [[Cutlet]] ([[pork]] fillet or loin), [[Bread crumbs#Panko|panko]], [[cooking oil]]
| variations       = 
| calories         = 
| other            = 
}}

{{nihongo|3='''Tonkatsu'''|2=豚カツ{{lang|en|,}} とんかつ {{lang|en|or}} トンカツ|4={{IPA|ja|toŋkatsɯ|pron}}; "Japanese pork [[cutlet]]"}} is a type of Japanese [[cutlet]] (カツレツ, katsuretsu) made from pork. Slices of pork loin or fillet are coated with [[Bread crumbs#Panko|panko]] (bread crumbs) and then deep-fried in oil.

Along with ''[[Japanese curry|karē raisu]]'' and ''[[Korokke|korokke]]'', ''tonkatsu'' was considered one of the "three great ''[[yōshoku]]''", popular Western-style Japanese dishes that were introduced to Japan.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.maff.go.jp/e/policies/market/k_ryouri/search_menu/2502/index.html |title=Tokyo Prefecture – Croquette |website=Our Regional Cuisines |publisher=[[Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (Japan)]] |at=History/origin/related events |access-date=30 September 2025 |language=en}}</ref>

== Etymology ==
[[File:Nagoya 20210305-04.jpg|thumb|Sliced tonkatsu]]
The word ''tonkatsu'' is a combination of the Sino-Japanese word ''ton'' ({{lang|ja|豚}}) meaning "pig", and ''katsu'' ({{lang|ja|カツ}}), which is a shortened form of ''katsuretsu'' ({{lang|ja|カツレツ}}),<ref name="NKD_Tonkatsu">{{Cite encyclopedia|title=Tonkatsu|script-title=ja:豚カツ|encyclopedia=[[Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]] Concise edition, web version (精選版 日本国語大辞典)|publisher=Shogakukan|url=https://kotobank.jp/word/%E8%B1%9A%E3%82%AB%E3%83%84-586629|access-date=2023-10-22|via=kotobank.jp|language=ja|trans-quote="katsu" is a contraction of カツレツ ("katsuretsu").}}</ref> an old transliteration of the English word "[[cutlet]]",<ref name="NKD_Katsuretsu">{{Cite encyclopedia|title=Katsuretsu|script-title=ja:カツレツ|encyclopedia=[[Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]] Concise edition, web version (精選版 日本国語大辞典)|publisher=Shogakukan|url=https://kotobank.jp/word/%E3%82%AB%E3%83%84%E3%83%AC%E3%83%84-45433|access-date=2021-08-16|via=kotobank.jp|language=ja|trans-title=cutlet|trans-quote=cutlet {{interp|... shortened form is}} "katsu".}}</ref><ref name="Shinshu1934">{{Cite encyclopedia |title=katsuretsu |script-title=ja:カツレツ |encyclopedia=新修百科大辭典 |publisher=[[Hakubunkan]] |location=Tokyo, Japan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zG3Ln3xqcxwC&q=%E3%82%AB%E3%83%84%E3%83%AC%E3%83%84&pg=PP320 |via=Google Books |date=1934-04-14 |orig-date=1934-04-05 |at=p262 row 4 |language=ja |trans-quote=From English word "Cutlet" (sliced meat), {{Interp|...}}. Also shortened to カツ ("katsu").}}</ref> which was in turn adopted from the [[French language|French]] word {{lang|fr|côtelette}}.<ref name="OED1933_cutlet">{{Cite encyclopedia|title=Cutlet|encyclopedia=[[OED]]|year=1933|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.271839/page/n1297/mode/1up|via=[[Internet Archive]]|publisher=The Clarendon Press |publication-place=Oxford, UK|edition=1 Corrected re-issue|volume=2 C|page=1293|language=en}}</ref>

== History ==
Tonkatsu originated in Japan during the [[Meiji era]] in the late 19th century, a dish derived from a [[French cuisine|French]] dish known as ''[[Côtelette|côtelette de]] [[Veal|veau]]'', a veal cutlet coated in breadcrumbs and fried in a pan with butter.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Roots of Tonkatsu: A Delicious Fusion of East and West |date=October 2018 |first=Katsuya |last=Yamada |url=https://www.gov-online.go.jp/eng/publicity/book/hlj/html/201810/201810_08_en.html |access-date=27 January 2025 |website=www.gov-online.go.jp}}</ref>

European ''katsuretsu'' ([[loanword]]/[[gairaigo]] for 'cutlet') was usually made with beef; the pork version was created in 1899 at a restaurant serving European-style foods named [[Rengatei]] in Tokyo, Japan.{{sfn|Okada|2012|p=166}}<ref>{{cite book|title=にっぽん洋食物語大全|last=小菅|first=桂子|page=122}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cozw2PdLopgC&pg=PA101|title=Let's Cook Japanese Food!: Everyday Recipes for Home Cooking|last=Kaneko|first=Amy|publisher=Chronicle Books|year=2007|isbn=978-0-8118-4832-9|page=101}}</ref> It is 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''.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ig9wPZjygnMC&q=katsuretsu&pg=PA421|title=A companion to the anthropology of Japan|publisher=Wiley-Blackwell|year=2005|isbn=0-631-22955-8|page=421|editor=Jennifer Ellen Robertson}}</ref>

In the early Meiji era, several variations of ''katsuretsu'' were developed. These included beef cutlets (ビーフカツレツ, ''bīfu katsuretsu''), chicken cutlets (チキンカツレツ, ''chikin katsuretsu''), and pork cutlets (ポークカツレツ, ''pōku katsuretsu''). Of these variations, it was the ''pōku katsuretsu'' that became the direct predecessor of modern ''tonkatsu''.{{sfn|Okada|2012|p=171}}

Pork cutlets (ポークカツレツ, ''pōku katsuretsu'') began to gain popularity around 1907 and eventually became established as one of the "three great ''[[yōshoku]]''" (三大洋食, sandai yōshoku) during the [[Taishō period|Taishō era]].{{sfn|Okada|2012|p=172}} As its popularity grew among the Japanese public, the modern form of ''tonkatsu'', distinguished by its use of a thick cut of pork, began to be sold in 1929 (Shōwa 4) in the Okachimachi neighborhood of Ueno, Tokyo.{{sfn|Okada|2012|p=201}}

== Preparation and serving ==
[[File:Tonkatsu Japan - 2014 12 12.webm|thumb|Freshly-served tonkatsu with shredded cabbage]]
Either a {{Nihongo|[[pork fillet]]|ヒレ|hire}} or {{Nihongo|[[pork loin]]|ロース|rōsu}} cut may be used; the meat is usually salted, peppered, dredged lightly in [[flour]], dipped into beaten egg and then coated with [[Bread crumbs#Panko|panko]] ([[bread crumbs]]) before being deep-fried.<ref name="Tsuji2007">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fby2Er0seMMC&q=Tonkatsu&pg=PA240|page=240|title=Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art|first1=Shizuo |last1=Tsuji|first2=M. F. K. |last2=Fisher |publisher=Kodansha International|year=2007 |isbn=978-4-7700-3049-8}}</ref>

Tonkatsu is then sliced into bits and served, commonly with shredded cabbage.<ref name="Tsuji2007" /><ref>{{hosking-jfood|159}}</ref> It is most commonly eaten with a thick [[Worcestershire sauce#Japan|Worcestershire]]-style sauce called [[tonkatsu sauce]]<ref name="Tsuji2007" /> or simply ''sōsu'' (sauce), ''[[karashi]]'' (mustard), 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.<ref name="Japanese Soul Cooking">{{cite book |last1=Ono |first1=Tadashi |last2=Salat |first2=Harris |title=Japanese Soul Cooking: Ramen, Tonkatsu, Tempura, and More from the Streets and Kitchens of Tokyo and Beyond |date=2013 |publisher=Potter/Ten Speed/Harmony/Rodale |isbn=9781607743538 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mF4me5AKc-wC&q=tonkatsu&pg=PT306 |access-date=21 July 2020}}</ref>

== Variations ==
[[File:Sauce Katsudon in Hong Kong.jpg|thumb|[[Katsudon]], or tonkatsu with rice]]
[[File:Ｌカツカレー（カレーのチャンピオン近江市場店）.jpg|thumb|Tonkatsu on [[katsu curry]]]]
Tonkatsu is also popular as [[katsu curry]], where it is served with [[Japanese curry]], or as ''[[katsudon]]'', simmered with egg and broth, then served on a big bowl of rice; there is also katsu rice, which is pork cutlet served on rice topped with demi-glace sauce. Another popular variation, ''[[katsu-sando]]'' or pork cutlet sandwich, is said to be originated from the Isen, a tonkatsu restaurant. In the 1930s, the manager of the Isen came up with the concept, then improved it by making the sandwich smaller so that its clientele of local [[Geisha|geishas]] could enjoy it without wearing off their lipstick.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.sbs.com.au/food/article/from-geishas-to-the-world-katsu-sando-then-and-now/lqg6wgkvs |title=From geishas to the world: Katsu sando, then and now |date=2022-09-28 |access-date=2023-12-09 |website=[[SBS Food]] |last=Oba |first=Yumi |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231101003429/https://www.sbs.com.au/food/article/from-geishas-to-the-world-katsu-sando-then-and-now/lqg6wgkvs |archive-date=2023-11-01 |url-status=live |publication-place=Australia |language=en}}</ref>

In [[Nagoya]] and surrounding areas, [[miso]] katsu, tonkatsu eaten with a [[Okazaki, Aichi#Hatch%C5%8D miso|hatchō miso]]-based sauce, is a speciality.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nic-nagoya.or.jp/en/e/archives/629|title=名古屋国際センター &#124; Nagoya International Center|access-date=2013-01-02|archive-date=2019-06-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190610071028/http://www.nic-nagoya.or.jp/en/e/archives/629|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Variations on tonkatsu may be made by sandwiching an ingredient such as [[cheese]] or [[perilla|shiso]] leaf between the meat, and then breading and frying.
[[File:KatsuSando6515.jpg|thumb|[[Katsu-sando]], a tonkatsu sandwich, served as an ''[[ekiben]]'']]
Variations of ''katsu'' other than pork:

* [[Chicken katsu]] ({{lang|ja|チキンカツ}}) or [[Chicken katsu|tori katsu]] ({{lang|ja|鶏カツ}}), which uses chicken instead, often appears in [[plate lunch|Hawaiian plate lunches]].
* [[Menchi-katsu]] ({{lang|ja|メンチカツ}}) or minchi katsu ({{lang|ja|ミンチカツ}} mince katsu), is a minced meat patty, breaded and deep fried.
* Hamu katsu ({{lang|ja|ハムカツ}} ham katsu), a similar dish made from [[ham]], is usually considered a budget alternative to tonkatsu.
* Gyū katsu ({{lang|ja|牛カツ}} beef katsu), also known as bīfu katsu, is popular in the [[Kansai]] region around [[Osaka]] and [[Kobe]].

In general, breaded and deep-fried foods are called ''[[furai]]'' ("fry"),<ref name="Nipponica_Furai">{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Furai (ryouri) |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopedia Nipponica]] web version |publisher=Shogakukan |url=https://kotobank.jp/word/%E3%83%95%E3%83%A9%E3%82%A4%28%E6%96%99%E7%90%86%29-1586721 |access-date=2021-08-16 |edition=constantly updated |language=ja |trans-title=Fry (cooking) |quote=(rough translation): In Western cuisine, "frying" means to deep-fry or sautee in oils or fats. {{interp|...}} In Japan, "furai" refers to foods that are dipped in wheat flour, beaten egg, bread crumbs and then deep-fried, {{interp|...}}. If the ingredient is meat, it is called "chikin katsuretsu", "pōku katsuretsu (tonkatsu)" etc., respectively.{{interp|...}} |script-title=ja:フライ (料理) |via=kotobank.jp}}</ref> such as ''ebi-furai'' (fried prawn)<ref name="Nipponica_Furai"/> and ''aji-furai'' (fried [[horse mackerel]]), but fried meat such as pork, beef and chicken is referred to as ''katsu'' (cutlet).<ref name="NKD_Katsuretsu"/> ''Katsu'' and ''furai'' differ from [[tempura]], which is not breaded but [[Batter_(cooking)|battered]]<ref name="Daijisen_Tempura">No panko appears in definition of tempura: {{Cite encyclopedia |title=Tempura |encyclopedia=Digital [[Daijisen]] (デジタル大辞泉) |publisher=Shogakukan |url=https://kotobank.jp/word/%E5%A4%A9%E9%BA%A9%E7%BE%85-578873 |access-date=2021-08-16 |edition=constantly updated |language=ja |quote=(rough translation): 1.{{interp|...ingredients}} dipped in batter made of wheat flour, egg and water, then fried in vegetable oil. Vegetable tempuras are sometimes distinguished and called "shōjin-age". {{interp|...}} |script-title=ja:天麩羅 テンプラ |via=kotobank.jp}}</ref> and typically fried in sesame oil.

In recent years, chicken katsu curry has become extremely popular in the [[United Kingdom]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hargreaves |first=Clare |date=2019-10-09 |title=Forget tikka masala - chicken katsu is the new true British national dish |url=https://inews.co.uk/inews-lifestyle/food-and-drink/chicken-katsu-curry-national-dish-tikka-masala-347826 |access-date=2023-08-08 |website=inews.co.uk |language=en}}</ref> to the point that other varieties of Japanese curry and curry sauce are sometimes referred to as katsu erroneously.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=2020-02-12 |title=The U.K. thinks Japanese curry is katsu curry, and people aren't happy about it |url=https://soranews24.com/2020/02/12/the-u-k-thinks-japanese-curry-is-katsu-curry-and-people-arent-happy-about-it/ |access-date=2023-08-08 |website=SoraNews24 -Japan News- |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Gallery ==
<gallery mode="packed" widths="150px" heights="150px">
File:Tonkatsu by ayustety in Tokyo.jpg
File:Warajikatsu Set 20200729-01.jpg
File:NGO 北 街かど屋 味噌カツ 20240223 142043.jpg|With [[miso]] sauce
File:明治亭ソースカツ丼弁当20220618-P1380685.jpg|Tonkatsu in a [[bento]]
File:AIchi Toyohashi Katsusato c20250519a.jpg|With rice and [[miso soup]]
File:Katsuya-Roppongi.jpg|Tonkatsu chain restaurant [[:jp:かつや|Katsuya]] in Tokyo
</gallery>

== See also ==
* {{Commons category-inline}}
* {{Cookbook-inline|Tonkatsu}}
* [[Japanese cuisine]]
* [[List of Japanese dishes#Deep-fried dishes (agemono, 揚げ物)|List of Japanese dishes]] – a category of deep-fried dishes in Japanese cuisine
* [[List of pork dishes]]
* [[Milanesa]]
* [[Schnitzel]]
* [[Dongaseu]] – a Korean dish derived from ''tonkatsu''
* [[Escalope]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Bibliography ==  
* {{cite book|last=Okada|first=Tetsu|year=2012|orig-year=2000|script-title=ja:とんかつ<nowiki/>の誕生 - 明治洋食事始め|trans-title=The Birth of Tonkatsu: The Beginnings of Meiji Western Cuisine|language=Japanese|publisher=講談社 (Kodansha)|isbn=978-4-06-292123-7}}

{{Japanese food and drink}}

[[Category:Breaded cutlets]]
[[Category:Deep fried foods of Japan]]
[[Category:Japanese fusion cuisine]]
[[Category:Japanese pork dishes]]
[[Category:Fried pork]]