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The soon-to-be-revived sandwich is so cheesy, and we mean that in the most complimentary way.

1991 saw several noteworthy debuts in Japan. Boy band extraordinaire SMAP held its first concert and released its first single, and Sonic the Hedgehog starred in his initial video game adventure. It was a special year for fast food fans, too, as McDonald’s Japan unleashed the Cheese Katsu Burger.

The word “katsu” is based on the corrupted Japanese pronunciation of “cutlet,” and when used without any other qualifiers generally refers to breaded, deep-fried pork. As such, the Cheese Katsu Burger was a sandwich starring a pork cutlet with a core of melty cheddar (plus some cabbage, the traditional katsu side dish, and a dab of mayo).

As part of McDonald’s ongoing celebration of 45 years in Japan, the chain has announced it’s bringing back the Cheese Katsu Burger for a limited time. The sandwich makes its return to the menu on November 2, priced at 390 yen (US$3.80), and will be available until an unspecified date late in the month, meaning that it’ll probably have some overlap with the similarly revived Bacon Potato Pie.

▼ A short video preview of what makes the Cheese Katsu Burger so special

So while SMAP is breaking up, and there hasn’t been a high-quality Sonic game in years, at least your taste buds will be able to enjoy some early ‘90s nostalgia.

Source: IT Media
Top image: McDonald’s Japan

Follow Casey on Twitter, where all this talk of early 1990s Japan has him wondering where he put his Lindberg CDs.