This article was published on August 5, 2013

Food for thought: Popular Japanese recipe site Cookpad is now available in English


Food for thought: Popular Japanese recipe site Cookpad is now available in English

Fans of Japanese cuisine will be interested to hear that Cookpad, the smash-hit recipe-sharing site from Japan, has launched an English version of its service.

The company, which was first established way back in 1997, is no ordinary foodie site. For one thing, it’s been listed on the Japanese stock exchange since 2009, and it boasts an impressive 1.5 million-plus recipes that have been created by its base of over 20 million users.

The new site has been translated into English and initially features just 1,500 recipes. That’s just a small slice of its total, though there are plans to ramp the figure up to 30,000 in “the coming future,” Cookpad says.

The breadth of culinary ideas includes recipes for meat, fish, egg, noodles, bento and more — you can find all 15 main categories listed on the left-hand side of the site. Start reading and you’ll be taken down a rabbit hole of delicious Japanese food that’s sure to get you salivating and ready for your next meal.

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Katsu is among my favorite Japanese dishes. A search shows up a whole host of Katsu recipes lovingly added (and translated) to the English-language version of the site.

This recipe for cheese pork katsu (the cheese is a more than worthy addition, trust me) includes step-by-step cooking instructions and photos. The lady who uploaded it isn’t a fan of cheese (surprisingly!) but her husband is (man of good taste!) which is how she ended up first making it.

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Cookpad makes its money in Japan through premium membership, which offers additional features, while the free version of the site is ad-supported.

That business model is working nicely for Cookpad. The company grew its annual revenue 28 percent from 3.91 billion Yen ($40 million) to 4.98 billion yen (around $50 million). Net income rose 46 percent from 1.11bn ($11 million) to 1.62bn ($16.5 million).

It’s not clear how or, indeed, whether it will monetize the English site, which remains refreshingly free from ads — although that could soon change according to its privacy policy, which lists advertising partners.

➤ Cookpad (English)

Headline image via Thinkstock

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