Food: Japanese Curry

カレー (romaji Karē, also known as Japanese Curry) is a type of curry with a rather interesting history. During the Meiji era (1869 - 1913), curry was first introduced to Japan by the British. At the time, India was under the control of Britain, and the British navy often ate meat stews seasoned with curry powder. Most curry served in Japan today comes from this originally British mixture. However, in more recent years many Indian restaurants have also opened in Japan, so it is possible to get Indian curry there as well.


Japanese Curry is usually served with rice, eaten with a spoon, and called カレーライス (curry rice). The most popular meats are beef or pork, depending on the region of Japan, although chicken and duck curries are also available. Common vegetables are onions, carrots, and potatoes. Another common form is カレーパン (karē pan) called curry bread or sometimes curry dougnut, which is dough wrapped around a bit of curry and then deepfried. Karē soups are also popular.

Karē restaurants are one of the cheaper options for eating out in Japan. Karē is also very easy to make at home, since many instant powders and blocks are available. If you like, you can easily try it yourself in the United States, since many grocery stores carry the instant varieties Vermont Curry and/or Golden Curry.