Image: Wikimedia Commons
Demi Katsudon is a local specialty from Okayama City featuring freshly fried pork cutlet topped with piping-hot demi-glace sauce. It is said to have originated when the founder of the long-established restaurant 'Ajishi Nomura,' founded in 1931 (Showa 6), was so impressed by the demi-glace sauce he tasted at a Tokyo hotel that he adapted it for the pork cutlets served at his own shop. The basic style is to place a pork cutlet over white rice and pour on plenty of demi-glace sauce, with each restaurant adding its own touches such as a raw egg or green peas (called 'Alaska' at some Okayama shops). Today it is served at around 30 restaurants throughout Okayama City and the wider prefecture, and goes by various names such as 'Demi-katsu,' 'Domi-katsu,' or 'Western-style katsu.' It is a beloved year-round Western-style rice bowl dish that is popular with tourists as well as locals.
Origin
Demi Katsudon is said to have originated when the founder of Ajishi Nomura, a long-established restaurant in Okayama City founded in 1931 (Showa 6), was moved by the taste of the demi-glace sauce he had at a Tokyo hotel and wondered whether it could be applied to the pork cutlets served at his own restaurant. It was an original idea to bring a Western-style sauce into the format of a Japanese-style rice bowl.
History
Demi Katsudon, born at Ajishi Nomura, became well known and gradually spread to various types of establishments throughout Okayama City, including Western-style restaurants, cafes, izakaya, and ramen shops. Thanks to publicity efforts by the 'Okayama Demi Katsudon Support Squad' and participation in the B-1 Grand Prix, it is now served at around 30 restaurants across Okayama Prefecture and has become established as one of Okayama's representative local dishes.
Features
The basic style is to pour plenty of piping-hot demi-glace sauce over a freshly fried pork cutlet. Each restaurant adds its own character through toppings such as raw egg or green peas (called 'Alaska' at some Okayama shops), and the seasoning and presentation vary from shop to shop. It also goes by many names, including 'Demi-katsu,' 'Domi-katsu,' and 'Western-style katsu,' reflecting how deeply this food culture has taken root in the region.
Main Ingredients
Famous Shops
味司 カツ丼 野村
岡山県岡山市北区平和町1-10 野村ビル1F
A long-established restaurant founded in 1931, said to be the birthplace of Demi Katsudon. A regular-size bowl costs around 800 yen for loin and 900 yen for fillet.