In the 1870s, Japan's rapid modernization under Emperor Meiji included adopting Western customs, including diet. The navy, plagued by beriberi—a debilitating vitamin deficiency from a plain rice diet—desperately needed a nutritious, scalable meal. British naval officers, familiar with 'curry powder' from colonial India, provided the template. By 1872, the first recipe for 'karē raisu' appeared in a Japanese cookbook, framing it as sophisticated Western cuisine. The dish was deliberately made thi