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Basic Information
The meal style of topping cooked meat on rice is called “Donburi,” and various menus are offered at major beef bowl chain restaurants. The simplicity, low cost, and satisfaction of fullness make meat-topped donburi popular among many people.
Beef Bowl (Gyu-don)
A beef bowl is a dish where thinly sliced beef and onions are simmered in a sweet and salty soy sauce-based sauce and served over rice. It was invented by Eikichi Matsuda, the founder of “Yoshinoya,” a major beef bowl chain restaurant, in 1899. Since 1973, the popularity of beef bowls has grown with the nationwide expansion of Yoshinoya, establishing it as a fast food for the masses. Not only Yoshinoya but also other major chain stores like “Sukiya” and “Matsuya” offer beef bowls with their own unique tastes.
Grilled Meat Bowl (Yakiniku-don)
The grilled meat bowl is a dish with grilled meat served on top of rice. This menu item is available in supermarkets, convenience stores, and major beef bowl chain stores.
Katsudon
Katsudon is a donburi dish with “Tonkatsu,” a thinly sliced piece of pork coated in flour, egg, and breadcrumbs and deep-fried, served with beaten eggs on top of rice. Typically, Worcestershire sauce is poured over the Tonkatsu, but in the Nagoya region of Aichi Prefecture in the Chubu region, it is customary to eat it with miso.
Pork Bowl (Buta-don)
The pork bowl is a local dish originated in Obihiro City, Hokkaido, in 1933. Pork is flavored with sugar and soy sauce, grilled, and served over rice. On the other hand, the pork bowl offered by major beef bowl chain stores nationwide is a different menu item, where thinly sliced pork and onions are simmered in soy sauce, sugar, mirin, and sake and served over rice.
Oyakodon
Oyakodon is a dish where chicken and eggs are flavored with soy sauce, sugar, mirin, etc., simmered and served over rice. The name “Oyako” comes from the use of chicken (parent) and eggs (child) together.
Yakitori Don
Yakitori don is a dish where bite-sized pieces of chicken are skewered, grilled over direct heat, and flavored with salt, soy sauce, mirin, sugar, sake, etc., and served over rice. This menu item is available in supermarkets, convenience stores, and major beef bowl chain stores.
