Climate change cooks up Japanese 'cabbage shock'

Tokyo (AFP) Jan 24, 2025

Japan's much-loved "tonkatsu" pork cutlets come with a mound of freshly shredded cabbage, but a surge in the price of the humble vegetable has prompted chef Katsumi Shinagawa to skimp on servings. The culprit is a changing climate. Last year's record summer heat and heavy rain ruined crops, driving up the cost of the leafy green in what media have dubbed a "cabbage shock". It is the late