Doria (food)

Did You Know?

• The most widespread theory for the name "Doria" claims it was named after 16th-century naval admiral Andrea Doria of the Doria family of Genoa, Italy.
• Several theories exist for the origin of the name, though none are officially confirmed.

History

Doria was created during the Shōwa era, improvised in the 1930s by Saly Weil, the first grand chef at the Hotel New Grand in Yokohama prefecture. A patron who felt unwell requested a dish easy to swallow, prompting Weil to make a soft, comforting dish requiring little chewing: cream-stewed shrimp over buttered rice, topped with cheese. The dish gained popularity as a menu item and became a hotel signature under the name "Shrimp Doria". Weil's disciples spread it to restaurants and hotels across Japan in subsequent decades. The Hotel New Grand still serves doria, along with other dishes it claims to have invented, such as spaghetti naporitan and pudding à la mode. Modern variations include any assortment of vegetables, meat, or seafood, with rice that may be buttered, fried, or in a pilaf. Curry doria, incorporating Japanese curry into the rice or sauce, is a popular version. Doria remains a staple yōshoku dish in Japan, served in Western restaurants nationwide.