Gyūdon
Gyūdon ( Japanese 牛 丼 ) is a very popular food in Japan , which consists of a bowl of rice , boiled beef and onions in a mild, sweet sauce. This sauce is seasoned with soy sauce and the rice wine Mirin . The dish is often served with pickled ginger and miso soup .
The name originated from gyū ("beef", as an abbreviation for gyūniku = beef) and don as an abbreviation for donburi , the name for a large bowl of rice with vegetables, meat or the like.
Gyūdon is offered in many Japanese restaurants. Some fast food chains specialize in this dish. The largest of these chains in Japan is Yoshinoya . Gyūdon can also be found in many Chinese cities such as Guangzhou . The largest specialized chain in China is Kung Fu .
On February 11, 2004, Yoshinoya and most of its competitors had to cease sales of Gyūdon due to the BSE crisis and the subsequent ban on the import of American beef. In September 2006 the import ban was lifted. Until then, Yoshinoya had been selling a similar dish made from pork ( 豚 丼 , butadon ).
