Tonkatsu Sauce vs. Worcester Sauce vs. Chuno Sauce

Tonkatsu (豚カツ) is the Japanese pork cutlet featuring its crispy deep-fried breadcrumb covering, typically accompanying shredded cabbage, and eaten with Tonkatsu sauce (とんかつソース).

For those unfamiliar with Japanese food culture, as its name suggests, Tonkatsu sauce is a brown sauce primarily meant for the Tonkatsu pork cutlet.

Tonkatsu sauce and the Worcestershire sauce commonly used in Japan called Worcester sauce (ウスターソース) are similar.

Additionally, Chuno sauce (中濃ソース) is also a type of Japanese brown sauce, which is like a cross between Tonkatsu sauce and Worcester sauce.

The three Japanese brown sauces are close in taste, and you can use them interchangeably according to your preference.

But how exactly do they differ?

Bull-Dog Worcester Sauce vs. Tonkatsu Sauce vs. Chuno Sauce

Regarding Worcester sauce, Tonkatsu sauce, and Chuno sauce, the Japanese company Bull-Dog Sauce (ブルドックソース) is well-known with a top market share.

So here, I will compare their brown sauces.

Worcester Sauce (ウスターソース)

First, in terms of ingredients, the Worcester sauce from Bull-Dog Sauce I have on hand consists of

Ingredients

Vegetables & Fruit (Apple, Tomato, Onion, Lemon, Prune, Carrot), Brewed vinegar, Sugar, Salt, Yeast extract (including Soybean), Spice, Niboshi sardine extract

Made with fewer vegetables and fruit than Tonkatsu sauce, Japanese Worcester sauce doesn’t contain lots of fiber.

So this brown sauce has a liquid-like smooth consistency. Taste-wise, it is not sweet and moderately spicy.

Tonkatsu Sauce (とんかつソース)

Next, the ingredients used in the Bull-Dog Tonkatsu sauce are

Ingredients

Vegetables & Fruit (Tomato, Apple, Prune, Lemon, Carrot, Onion), Brewed vinegar, Sugars (High fructose corn syrup, Sugar), Salt, Starch, Yeast extract (including Soybean), Spice

In contrast to Worcester sauce, the maker makes Tonkatsu sauce (also known as Noukou sauce/濃厚ソース) with plenty of fruits and vegetables.

So this brown sauce contains lots of fiber and is thick in consistency. Taste-wise, it is mellow, fruity, umami-rich, and less spicy than Worcester sauce.

Chuno Sauce (中濃ソース)

In terms of taste and consistency, Chuno sauce is a cross between Worcester sauce and Tonkatsu sauce, as Chuno (中濃) means medium-thick in Japanese. 

By the way, the Bull-Dog Chuno sauce consists of

Ingredients

Vegetables & Fruit (Tomato, Prune, Apple, Lemon, Carrot, Onion), Brewed vinegar, Sugars (High fructose corn syrup, Sugar), Salt, Starch, Yeast extract (including Soybean), Spice

(Reference Page: Kagome ソースのQ&A )