Okonomiyaki
Template:Short description Template:Italic title Template:Good article Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox food
Template:Nihongo 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 is mainly associated with two distinct variants from Hiroshima or 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 Template:Transliteration, meaning "how you like" or "what you like", and Template:Transliteration, meaning "grilled". It is an example of Template:Transliteration (Template:Transliteration in the Kansai dialect), or flour-based Japanese cuisine.
It is also called by an abbreviated name, "okonomi", where the Template:Transliteration is a politeness prefix and Template:Transliteration means ‘favorite’.
A liquid-based okonomiyaki, popular in Tokyo, is called monjayaki (also written as Template:Transliteration) and abbreviated as "monja". Outside of Japan, it can also be found served in Manila, Taipei, Bangkok, and Jakarta by street vendors.
History
[edit]A thin crêpe-like confection called Template:Ill may be an early precursor to okonomiyaki.<ref name="heibonsha">Template:Harvnb encyclopedia vol. 3, p. 445, article on okonomiyaki by Tekishū Motoyama 本山荻舟 (1881–1958)</ref><ref name="okonomi world">Template:Cite web</ref> Records of the word Template:Transliteration appear as far back as the 16th century, as written about by tea master Sen no Rikyū,<ref name=kumakura>Template:Harvnb, p.168</ref> and though the dish's ingredients are unclear, it may have included fu (wheat gluten).<ref name="heibonsha"/> By the late Edo period (1603–1867),<ref>In Template:Harvnb Template:Transliteration is (mistakenly) said to be a late Edo-period confection</ref> funoyaki referred to a thin crêpe baked on a cooking pot, with miso basted on one side.<ref name="heibonsha"/><ref name=kumakura/> This confection is the ancestor of the modern confections Template:Nihongo, which is also called Template:Nihongo in Kyoto and Osaka,<ref name="heibonsha"/> and taiko-yaki (also known as imagawayaki), which both use Template:Nihongo, a sweet bean paste.<ref name="Nipponica"/>
In the Meiji era (1868–1912), Template:Nihongo, a related confection, was popular with children at Template:Nihongo, shops selling cheap sweets.<ref name="Kansaistyle">Template:Cite web</ref> 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 Template:Nihongo, from the onomatopoeia of the stall sellers beating drums to attract customers.<ref name="Nipponica">Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref>
The first appearance of the word "okonomiyaki" was at a shop in Osaka in the 1930s.<ref name="okonomi world"/><ref name="foodicles history">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="natgeo 20150804">Template:Cite web</ref> After the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake when people lacked amenities, it became a pastime to cook these crêpes,<ref name="heibonsha"/> and after World War II (when there was a short supply of rice)<ref name="Kansaistyle"/> okonomiyaki emerged as an inexpensive and filling dish for all ages, often with savory toppings, such as meat, seafood, and vegetables.<ref name="heibonsha"/><ref name="Nipponica" /><ref name="bbc 20200413"/> This "okonomiyaki boom" saw household equipment and ingredients for the dish become commercially available.<ref name="Nipponica" /> Monjiyaki also developed into the related modern dish Template:Nihongo, which has a more runny batter due to more added water, resulting in a different cooked consistency.<ref name="Nipponica" />
The Template:Ill (cheap Western-style cuisine) of Kyoto, which developed in the Taishō period (1912–1926), may have produced an early form of modern savory okonomiyaki in the form of a pancake with Worcestershire sauce and chopped scallion.<ref name="ono 2009">Template:Cite book, p.95</ref>
Variations by region
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The dish is known for two distinct main variants, one in Kansai and Osaka and one in Hiroshima.<ref name ="otajoy">Template:Cite web</ref> Another variety is hirayachi, a thin and simple type made in Okinawa.<ref name="kyoudo-ryouri">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Kansai area
[edit]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, 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.<ref name="heibonsha"/><ref name="natgeo 20150804"/><ref name=Guardian/>
It is sometimes compared to an omelette or a pancake and is sometimes referred to as a "Japanese pizza" or "Osaka soul food".<ref name=Guardian>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="bbc 20200413"/><ref name="sankei 20161108">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="99japan">Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref name="tut">Template:Cite web</ref>
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).<ref name="natgeo 20150804"/>
When served with a layer of fried noodles (either yakisoba or udon), the resulting dish is called Template:Nihongo, the name of which may be derived from the English word "modern" or as a contraction of Template:Nihongo, meaning "a lot" or "piled high" signifying the volume of food from having both noodles and okonomiyaki. Template:Nihongo is a thinner variation of okonomiyaki made with a great deal of scallions, comparable to Korean pajeon and Chinese green onion pancakes.<ref name="Ok book"/>
A variation called kashimin-yaki is made of chicken and tallow instead of pork in Kishiwada, Osaka.<ref name="maidonanews 20200914">Template:Cite web</ref> In Hamamatsu, takuan (pickled daikon) is mixed in okonomiyaki.<ref name="nikkei style 20200702">Template:Cite web</ref> Stewed sweet kintoki-mame is mixed in okonomiyaki in Tokushima Prefecture.<ref name="nikkei style ">Template:Cite web</ref>
Hiroshima area
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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.<ref name="bbc 20200413"/> Template:Nihongo, a thin pancake topped with green onions and bonito flakes or shrimp, became popular in Hiroshima prior to World War II. After the atomic bombing of the city in August 1945, issen yōshoku became a cheap way for the surviving residents to have food to eat.<ref name="bbc 20200413"/> Because the original ingredients were not always easy to obtain, many of the street vendors and shops began making it Template:Nihongo, using whatever ingredients were available.<ref name="bbc 20200413"/>
The ingredients are layered rather than mixed.<ref name="natgeo 20150804"/><ref name="bbc 20200413"/> The layers are typically batter, cabbage, pork, and yakisoba. Optional items such as squid, octopus, dried bonito flakes, and other seafood, as well as nori flakes or powder, mung bean sprouts, egg, chicken, cheese, and other ingredients, depending on the preferences of the cook and the customer.<ref name="bbc 20200413">Template:Cite web</ref> Noodles (yakisoba, udon) are also used as a topping with fried egg and a generous amount of okonomiyaki sauce.<ref name="japa_Hiro">Template:Cite web</ref>
The amount of cabbage used is usually three to four times the amount used in the Osaka style.<ref name="okonomi world"/><ref name="Ok book">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="natgeo 20150804"/> It starts out piled very high and is pushed down as the cabbage cooks.<ref name="natgeo 20150804"/> The order of the layers may vary slightly depending on the chef's style and preference, and ingredients vary depending on the preference of the customer. This style is also called Hiroshima-yaki or Hiroshima-okonomi.<ref name="tut"/>
In and around the Hiroshima area, there are a number of variations on the style. Template:Nihongo is made with ground meat instead of pork belly in Fuchū, Hiroshima.<ref name="asahi 20201210">Template:Cite web</ref> Oysters (kaki) are mixed in okonomiyaki to make kaki-oko in Hinase, Okayama.<ref name="asahi 20190214">Template:Cite web</ref> On the island of Innoshima, a variety called Template:Nihongo (or Template:Nihongo for short) includes udon, bonito flakes, Worcestershire sauce, and vegetables fried with uncooked batter.<ref name="ij 20100829">Template:Cite journal</ref> Together with "Onomichiyaki", in'oko is considered a B-class gourmet food along the Shimanami Kaidō.<ref name="asahi 20101021">Template:Cite web</ref> 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—okonomiyaki.<ref name="natgeo 20150804"/>
Otafuku, one of the most popular brands of okonomiyaki sauce, is based in Hiroshima and has an okonomiyaki museum and a cooking studio there.<ref name="bbc 20200413"/> Okonomi-mura, in Naka-ku in Hiroshima, was the top food theme park destination for families in Japan according to an April 2004 poll.<ref name="home-tv">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="ushida paper">Template:Cite web</ref>
Okinawa
[edit]Hirayachi (Template:Langx hirayaachii) is a thin, very simple Okinawan pancake-like dish similar to buchimgae. It is basically "a savory Okinawan crepe with leeks",<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and is sometimes called "Okinawan style okonomiyaki". The name means "fry flat" in the Okinawan language.<ref name="onookinawa">Template:Cite web</ref>
People cook it at home, so there are few okonomiyaki restaurants in Okinawa, with none of them serving hirayachi.<ref name="okinawa2go">Template:Cite web</ref> The ingredients consist of eggs, flour, salt, black pepper and green onions, fried with a little oil in a pan.<ref name="onookinawa"/>
Other areas
[edit]The Tsukishima district of Tokyo is popular for both okonomiyaki and monjayaki (the district's main street is named "Monja Street").<ref name="mike_Food">Template:Cite web</ref> In some areas of Kyoto city, an old-style okonomiyaki called betayaki (べた焼き) is served. The dish is prepared in layers of thin batter, shredded cabbage and meat, with a fried egg and noodles.<ref name="poor traveler 201308">Template:Cite web</ref>
Okonomiyaki is popular streetfare in cities including Manila, Taipei, Bangkok, and Jakarta.<ref name="kompas lifestyle 20110210">Template:Cite news</ref>
See also
[edit]- Template:Annotated link
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- Jianbing
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- Uttapam
- Pesarattu
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- Template:Portal inline
References
[edit]Bibliography
[edit]- Template:Cite book (World Encyclopedia, in Japanese).
- Template:Cite book
External links
[edit]- What is Okonomiyaki? - Okonomiyaki, an Overview. The history of Okonomiyaki and Okonomiyaki sauce in Hiroshima.
- "As-you-like-it Pancake"Template:Spaced ndash Okonomiyaki; what it is, how to cook it, and a sample recipe.
Template:Japanese food and drink Template:Pancakes Template:Bread Template:Authority control