※This article was published at November 2014.※
While Japanese cuisine has been registered on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list for its delicate seasonings and assortment of food featuring stock from kelp and bonito, Japanese cuisine is more than just this.
What people are most enthusiastic about from Hokkaido in the north to Okinawa in the south are the local cheap and delicious specialties from each region.
We would like to look at one of these specialties called okonomiyaki, which is a fun food that is usually popular among foreigners, while we look at the differences between okonomiyaki in Hiroshima and Osaka.
Let’s look at Hiroshima’s okonomiyaki first.
While it varies depending on the shop, the basic style consists of ingredients such as soba or udon, cabbage, bean sprouts, and green onion that are grilled and put on top of a thin crepe made of wheat dissolved in water, which is then topped by grilled meat and egg.
You then add sauce and eat it.
While it is still called okonomiyaki, the way of making the Osaka version is slightly different.
Although the ingredients are similar, in the case of the Osaka version, a base made of wheat or ground yam is dissolved in water and grilled after ingredients such as meat and cabbage are mixed in.
The Osaka version does not generally include soba or udon, so if you would like to eat your okonomiyaki together with them, you should order a modan-yaki.
While the meat used at okonomiyaki restaurants is usually pork, please do not worry if you do not eat pork, because it is also possible to order an okonomiyaki without meat as in the photo, and seafood okonomiyaki with squid or octopus are also available.
Okonomiyaki restaurants also have interesting side menu items that are available.
At a shop I always visit when returning home, you can try one more of Hiroshima’s local specialties, its oysters.
Another addictive specialty is called oden, which consists of radish, konjac, and eggs stewed in a dashi stock broth.
As each shop has a unique menu, we hope that you try new things when you come across an okonomiyaki shop.
Information
If you eat in Hiroshima: Okonomimura
http://www.okonomimura.jp/
If you eat in Osaka: Yukari
http://www.yukarichan.co.jp/main.html
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