Hiroshima-Style Okonomiyaki
Hiroshima is a quiet city. The Peace Memorial Park and the skeletal Atomic Bomb Dome are only two of its many sobering reminders of August 6, 1945, when the Americans dropped an atomic bomb.
The blast killed an estimated 70,000 to 80,000 people instantly and as many as 140,000 by the end of the year. It leveled about 4.7 square miles, destroyed roughly 70% of the city’s buildings, knocked out 42 of its 45 hospitals, and killed or injured some 90% of its doctors and nurses.
We should never forget that. Yet Hiroshima isn’t a city stuck in grief. It rebuilt, became known as the City of Peace, and moved on. Today it’s known for its oysters and, above all, its okonomiyaki.
Judging by the sheer number of restaurants and the long lines of people waiting for a table or a seat at the bar, the locals are mad for it. So what is this tongue-twister of a dish? Say it with us: oh·koh·noh·mee·YAH·kee. The name roughly means “grilled as you like it.”
The Hiroshima version is a child of the postwar years. Food was scarce, so cooks spread a thin crepe on a griddle and piled on cheap cabbage to fill hungry stomachs. It began as street food.
In Osaka, the cook mixes everything into the batter. In Hiroshima, the cook stacks it. First the thin crepe, then a heap of cabbage and bean sprouts, pork belly, noodles (soba or udon), and a fried egg, topped with sauce and a sprinkle of dried seaweed. It’s hearty, and every layer keeps its own texture.
It’s cooked on a teppan, a flat iron griddle. In this city, it’s as iconic as a Big Mac in the US (but tastier).