Kaladin
Professor of Aesthetics / Positive Boogeyman
Elite Member
Happy Ending Society
- 20,759
- 2020
- 56,580
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the fuck?
Japanese curry is defined by adaptation, not origin. The dish is a domesticated Western curry filtered through Japanese taste, industrial food science, and home-kitchen constraints.I've never in my life heard of Japanese curry powder. What do they do that makes it "Japanese"?
Rufiiiii-oooooooooo
So a classic French culinary staple makes the dish Japanese? Gotcha.Japanese curry is defined by adaptation, not origin. The dish is a domesticated Western curry filtered through Japanese taste, industrial food science, and home-kitchen constraints.
1. Route of transmission
Introduced via the British Navy during the Meiji period, not directly from India. The British version already emphasized flour-thickened sauces over spice-forward gravies. Japan inherited that baseline and standardized it.
2. Thickened sauce
Japanese curry is a roux-based stew. Flour and fat create a dense, glossy texture closer to gravy than soup. This single trait separates it from Indian, Thai, and Southeast Asian curries.
3. Mild, integrated spice
Spices are blended, muted, and backgrounded. Heat is optional and controlled. Aromatics serve warmth and sweetness, not sharpness or burn.
4. Sweet–savory profile
Apples, honey, sugar, or caramelized onions are common. Umami and sweetness dominate; acidity and bitterness are suppressed.
5. Ingredient minimalism
Canonical vegetables: onion, carrot, potato. Proteins: beef, pork, chicken. Variations exist, but the core is narrow and repeatable.
6. Industrial standardization
Flavor is codified through shelf-stable curry blocks. Brands like S&B Foods turned curry into a calibrated, foolproof system. Home cooking converged around identical results nationwide.
7. Rice-first construction
Short-grain Japanese rice is the anchor. Curry is poured over rice, not eaten with flatbread. Texture and flavor are engineered to pair with rice starch.
8. Comfort-food function
Japanese curry is not celebratory or ceremonial. It is weekday fuel: school lunches, cafeterias, home dinners. Reliability outranks expression.
Summary
Japanese curry is Japanese because it is standardized, thickened, mildly spiced, sweet–savory, rice-centric, and optimized for consistency over intensity.
No. A French technique does not make the dish Japanese. The technique is incidental. What makes it Japanese is selection, constraint, and systemization.So
So a classic French culinary staple makes the dish Japanese? Gotcha.
P.S. just use chatgpt yourself and stop being passive aggressiveSo
So a classic French culinary staple makes the dish Japanese? Gotcha.
Mod here. Sous Chef has been banned for impersonating a chef.P.S. just use chatgpt yourself and stop being passive aggressive
i reported you for being vaguely passive aggressive homosexual
Unbelievable I can’t believe that guyMod here. Sous Chef has been banned for impersonating a chef.
I reported your mom for being aggressively orally fixatedP.S. just use chatgpt yourself and stop being passive aggressive
i reported you for being vaguely passive aggressive homosexual
"Japanese" curry sounds like the gayest thing ever and you apparently love to put it in your mouth a lot tooP.S. just use chatgpt yourself and stop being passive aggressive
i reported you for being vaguely passive aggressive homosexual
The funny part to me is I learned how to make "Japanese" curry about four decades ago but it was just called fusion cooking back then.OP is correct. Can confirm Japanese curry is amazing.
We call it Japanese curry now grandpaThe funny part to me is I learned how to make "Japanese" curry about four decades ago but it was just called fusion cooking back then.
You can put roux in your spaghetti and call it Japanese spaghetti too for all I care.We call it Japanese curry now grandpa
You can put roux in your spaghetti and call it Japanese spaghetti too for all I care.