To us in India, curry seems like such an inevitably Indian dish. After all the name itself comes from the Tamilian word ‘kari’ meaning sauce. But the dish itself isn’t one that you’ll actually find in the repertoire of Indian cuisines. That’s because the concept of curry has been wildly distorted over the years to mean any dish that’s saucy and spiced and perhaps vaguely Indian. This misnomer, like so many other fallacies about Indian cuisine that exist today, can be credited to the British.
It was in 1608 that the British first arrived and started their conquest of India but the cultural influence went both ways and in 1747 a recipe for curry first appeared in a British recipe book. Of course, this curry took some liberties with tradition and it was more like a concept of curry as experienced by those who weren’t entirely sure how to make it. By 1772 a company called Crosse & Blackwell had released the UK's first curry powder.
This powdered version was easy to store and transport and soon it was a favourite dish to serve on British ships on their voyages with sailors often having curry as a weekly ritual. In 1868, Emperor Meiji opened Japan to foreigners and when the British navy landed in Japan, they brought their newfound love for curry with them. And as it happened, the Japanese liked it too! Based on the British curry powder, they started making their own version called Kare Raisu.
This dish started off in Western-style restaurants in major Japanese cities to cater to the new wave of foreign visitors. But when a massive earthquake devastated Tokyo in 1923, the dish moved out onto the streets with vendors popping up to offer the dish as an inexpensive but filling meal. By 1930 a Japanese company caught onto the trend and started to make ‘Hidori Brand Curry Powder’ which brought the dish into homes across the country in 1966, a shelf-stable roux in block form became the standard storecupboard commodity it is to
In the beginning, there were two distinct variations to the dish, the first being Kare Raisu, which referred to curry that was served on a separate plate from the rice. And Raisu Kare, which just meant the curry was poured over the rice before serving. Today, the names still remain, but the distinction between the two is a bit blurry so you might end up with curry over rice even if you order a Kare Raisu.
As a home-style meal, this dish was meant to be an economical and filling choice, so women often mixed a watered-down curry from the stock or powder and then thickened it with flour. The main bulk of the flavouring is in the curry block itself with pork, beef, chicken and vegetable options being the major players. It’s often served with pickled vegetables and raisins.
Though Japanese Kare Raisu ostensibly came from India, it’s a truly unique dish all on its own and with a cultural identity that defies the history that made it popular.