For more than a century, rice and curry has been a staple of Japanese cuisine, earning a spot on the “most well-loved” podium alongside more conventional favourites like sushi and yakitori.
It is so popular that even in nations like Malaysia that have a long-standing custom of making their own curries, many Japanese restaurants serve it on their menu.
Stories about how it became popular in the Land of the Rising Sun have resulted from this; the most popular one claims that it was first used when the Japanese Navy, which was then imperial, incorporated elements of the British Royal Navy into its 19th-century modernization.
TRUE- While many Indian subcontinental dishes are now categorised under the English word “curry,” the Japanese developed their own version of curry during the late 1800s as a result of their desire to modernise their cuisine in line with Western ideas.
Japan’s Defence Ministry acknowledged this in a series of posts on their official X (then Twitter) account back in 2021, stating that the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) still loved this dish as a tradition.
In order to provide the Japanese Navy with the newest military technologies, Japan embraced the British military system in 1870. Following that, the Royal Navy taught the Imperial Navy a number of skills, including a curry dish that the JMSDF still adores.
In a subsequent X post, it was said that this was one of the enhancements implemented in the Emperor Meiji’s reforms to address the issue of malnourishment among enlistees in the navy.
Curry was introduced to the Navy for this reason, according to the statement. The great recipe is nourishing, simple to prepare in large quantities, and delicious.
For this reason, the JMSDF has adopted the Friday custom of curry and rice from the Imperial Japanese Navy. Each ship and base has its own special recipe, which they preserve a closely-guarded secret.
