is a Japanese teppanyaki savory pancake dish consisting of wheat flour batter and other ingredients (mixed, or as toppings) cooked on a teppan (flat griddle). Common additions include cabbage, meat, and seafood, and toppings include okonomiyaki sauce (made with Worcestershire sauce), aonori (dried seaweed flakes), katsuobushi (bonito flakes), Japanese mayonnaise, and pickled ginger.

Okonomiyaki has two main variants from Hiroshima and the Kansai region of Japan, but is widely available throughout the country, with toppings and batters varying by area. The name is derived from the word , meaning "how you like" or "what you like", and , meaning "grilled". It is an example of ( in the Kansai dialect), or flour-based Japanese cuisine.

It is also called by an abbreviated name, "okonomi", where the is a politeness prefix and means 'favorite'.

A liquid-based okonomiyaki, popular in Tokyo, is called monjayaki (also written as ) and abbreviated as monja. Outside Japan, it can also be found served in Manila, Taipei, Bangkok, and Jakarta by street vendors.

History

A thin crêpe-like confection called ' may be an early precursor to okonomiyaki. Records of the word appear as far back as the 16th century, as written about by tea master Sen no Rikyū, and though the dish's ingredients are unclear, it may have included fu (wheat gluten). funoyaki referred to a thin crêpe baked on a cooking pot, with miso basted on one side. This was made by drawing letters (monji) or pictures with flour batter on a teppan (iron griddle) and adding ingredients of choice. The confectionary was also called , from the onomatopoeia of the stall sellers beating drums to attract customers.

The first appearance of the word "okonomiyaki" was at a shop in Osaka in the 1930s. After the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake when people lacked amenities, it became a pastime to cook these crêpes,

Variations by region

thumb|Kansai okonomiyaki on an iron griddle

thumb|Two Kansai okonomiyaki

The dish is known for two distinct main variants, one in Kansai and Osaka and one in Hiroshima.

Kansai area

Okonomiyaki in the Kansai or Osaka style is the predominant version of the dish, found throughout most of Japan. The batter is made of flour, grated nagaimo (a long type of yam), dashi or water, eggs, and shredded cabbage, and usually contains other ingredients such as green onion, meat (usually thinly sliced pork belly or American bacon), octopus, squid, shrimp, vegetables, konjac, mochi, or cheese. The dish can be prepared in advance, allowing customers to use a teppan or special hotplates to fry after mixing the ingredients. They may also have a diner-style counter where the cook prepares the dish in front of the customers.

It is prepared much like a pancake. The batter and other ingredients are pan-fried on both sides on a teppan using metal spatulas that are later used to cut the dish when it has finished cooking. Cooked okonomiyaki is topped with ingredients that include okonomiyaki sauce (made with Worcestershire sauce), aonori (seaweed flakes), katsuobushi (bonito flakes), Japanese mayonnaise, and pickled ginger (beni shōga). In Hamamatsu, takuan (pickled daikon) is mixed in okonomiyaki. Stewed sweet kintoki-mame is mixed in okonomiyaki in Tokushima Prefecture.

Hiroshima area

thumb|Hiroshima-style

thumb|Hiroshima-style

In the city of Hiroshima, there are over 2000 okonomiyaki restaurants, and the prefecture has more of those restaurants per capita than any other place in Japan. Noodles ( or udon) are also used as a topping with fried egg and a generous amount of sauce.

The amount of cabbage used is usually three to four times the amount used in the Osaka style. Oysters () are mixed in okonomiyaki to make in Hinase, Okayama. On the island of Innoshima, a variety called (or for short) includes udon, bonito flakes, Worcestershire sauce, and vegetables fried with uncooked batter. Together with , is considered a B-class gourmet food along the . There is a restaurant in Hiroshima where customers can order jalapeños, tortilla chips, chorizo, and other Latin American items either in—or as a side dish to—.

Other areas

The Tsukishima district of Tokyo is popular for both and (the district's main street is named "Monja Street"). In some areas of Kyoto city, an old-style called is served. The dish is prepared in layers of thin batter, shredded cabbage and meat, with a fried egg and noodles.

is popular street food in cities including Manila, Taipei, Bangkok, and Jakarta.

See also

  • Hirajacii
  • Jianbing
  • Pesarattu
  • Uttapam

References

Bibliography

  • (World Encyclopedia, in Japanese).
  • What is Okonomiyaki? - Okonomiyaki, an Overview. The history of Okonomiyaki and Okonomiyaki sauce in Hiroshima.
  • "As-you-like-it Pancake" Okonomiyaki; what it is, how to cook it, and a sample recipe.