Japanese curry
Students work through a series of activities on the theme of ‘Curry’ to develop intercultural understanding.
Why カレー
Curry is very popular and カレーライス has become a national dish in modern Japan. Curry can be found all over the world, but the style differs from region to region, and Japanese curry has a unique history. There are also many variations of Japanese curry, and ingredients can reveal regional characteristics. Japanese curry is also becoming the most popular retort-pouch food, and its growing popularity reflects the changing lifestyles of society. Curry is a great teaching resource with rich cultural breadth and depth.
How to use the unit of work
This unit of work is targeted for junior secondary students, but it may be used for upper primary. Please feel free to adapt or modify the contents to match your student’s level. The unit consists of a PowerPoint presentation, worksheets, and a suggested assessment task. The PowerPoint file contains 6 sections, divided into 2 parts due to the volume.
- Let’s learn about Japanese curry
- Where is Japanese curry from?
- Changes in eating habits
Part 2
4. Curry as a local specialty
5. Curry recipes
6. Suggested assessment task
Part 1
1. Let's learn about Japanese curry
Curry is one of the most favoured dishes in Japan from young children through to the elderly. In this section, students will learn that curry is the most popular school lunch for Japanese primary students, and find out when, where and how often Japanese curry is eaten through some quizzes and discussions.
2. Where is Japanese curry from?
In this section, students will learn the origin of Japanese curry through quizzes and discussions. They will then look at some of the dishes they eat in everyday life then compare and reflect.
PowerPoint 1 (P10-P16) includes following slides
3. Changes in eating habits
In this section, students look at how changes in Japanese lifestyles have influenced eating habits. Students will learn that in modern Japan, easy-to-prepare curry sauces and retorts that can be heated and eaten quickly have become popular due to the increase in the number of people living alone, working parents, and the elderly. In line with this, curry has become an essential food that can be eaten without cooking in times of disaster or even on space stations!
The PowerPoint 1 (P17-24) includes following slides:
Part 2
4. Curry as a local specialty
In this section, students will learn that each region in Japan makes its own local curry to promote local specialties and landmarks. Students will discuss in groups and design an Australian regional curry at the end of section.
The PowerPoint 2 (P2-P7) includes following slides:
5. Curry recipe
In this section students will learn how to make Japanese curry in Japanese. They may watch a video of a song to learn words and expressions with hand movements. At the end of this section, students will use the worksheet provided to match images and written steps in Japanese for making a curry.
The PowerPoint 2 (P8-P14) includes following slides:
6. Suggested assessment task
In this task students design their own original regional curry that highlights local ingredients to promote Australian fresh food. Students first do some research on local ingredients before working on their curry recipe. Students then demonstrate how to prepare their recipe for a Japanese cooking show on YouTube!
The PowerPoint 2 (P15-18) includes following slides:
References
Otsuka Foods Co. (2024) 「世界初の市販用レトルトカレー「ボンカレー」誕生」< https://boncurry.jp/all/history/>) (2024年7月10日）
S&B FOODS INC. (2024)「S＆Bカレールウの歴史」<https://www.sbcurry.com/history/roux/> (2024年7月1日）
S&B FOODS INC. (2024)「日本人はどのぐらいカレーを食べる？」<https://www.sbcurry.com/faq/faq-463/> (2024年7月1日）
S&B FOODS INC. (2024)「ルーとはなんですか」<https://www.sbcurry.com/faq/faq-465/> (2024年7月8日）
農林水産省 「カレーはどこからきたの?」<https://www.maff.go.jp/j/agri_school/a_menu/curry/01.html> (2024年7月1日）
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (2024) Yokosuka kaigun curry (Yokosuka navy curry) / Our Regional Cuisines <https://www.maff.go.jp/e/policies/market/k_ryouri/search_menu/1089/index.html>
Content used in this resource was originally developed by Ayuko Suma in 2017, and this resource was newly created and published by Himiko Negishi-Wood (August 2024).
