Okonomiyaki

I had a request to explain the “funny story” behind okonomiyaki, Japanese pizza, which I referred to yesterday. I am not sure where I heard this information (I ask a lot of questions…) and was not able to confirm it via the web or my coworkers, so I can’t promise it’s true. It is however, interesting to me, even if not actually funny…sadder, in fact.
The Food
So to start, I should explain that okomiyaki is basically a dish made primarily of flour, water, cabbage and some sort of meat or seafood (squid is my favorite). The mixture is then grilled (“yaki”) like a pancake on a big hotplate and brought to your table when it’s mostly-cooked, which also has a hotplate in the middle of it to finish cooking the food. Guests can eat from the grill if they have their own, or cut it into pieces, like American pizza. Common toppings (added at the table) are a sweet brown sauce (“okonomiyaki sauce”), shredded seaweed (looks like basil), mayonnaise, and fish flakes (made of bonito – I’m not a big fan). The dish is attributed to the Kansai area (where I live) and Hiroshima. Which leads to the story behind this cultural Japanese dish.
History
Okonomiyaki, while popular today, has a short history, only dating back to the post-war period. Apparently, after the atomic bomb was dropped, cabbage was the only thing that would grow. In addition, Japan was left crippled and many people poor. The United States sent food rations, including large amounts of flour. The only catch is that traditional (actual traditional) Japanese food doesn’t use flour, so people were not sure what to do with it. And okonomiyaki was what they came up with! It seems very clever to me, but I was a little shocked when I heard the history. I told Claire about the history, and she wondered if that is also where tempura (basically deep-fried fish/veggies) came from, although that I have no knowledge of.
Oishii
Feel free to correct me if I am wrong. It’s just another interesting tidbit about Japan I picked up somewhere along the way. If you are ever in Japan, though, I recommend trying out the okonomiyaki (okonomi basically means “as you like it” so you can get it without or with any kind of fish or meat). It’s one of my favorite foods here!