Hashidate Sailors Keep 1908 Navy Curry Ritual Alive, Part of Japan's 2.25 Million Annual Meals
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · May 20
Hashidate Sailors Keep 1908 Navy Curry Ritual Alive, Part of Japan's 2.25 Million Annual Meals
1 articles · Updated · The Guardian · May 20
Hashidate’s 10-person crew again ate curry for Friday lunch in Yokosuka, maintaining a maritime SDF ritual once used to mark time on long voyages.
Chef Yosuke Oyama varies the ship’s recipe with ingredients such as apple puree, red wine and honey, reflecting a wider rivalry among bases to claim Japan’s best navy curry.
The tradition dates to the late 1800s, when curry powder helped cut beriberi among sailors living largely on white rice; a curry recipe entered the Navy Cooking Reference Book in 1908.
Japan’s maritime SDF now consumes 45 tonnes of curry a year—about 2.25 million meals—while Yokosuka has turned navy curry into a civic brand with restaurants, a mascot and a festival drawing tens of thousands.
As Japan builds its 'counterstrike capability,' what message does the tradition of navy curry send to the world?
From fighting beriberi to countering new threats, how has curry’s role in Japan’s navy evolved with its missions?