Hiroshima style Okonomiyaki vs Osaka style Okonomiyaki
Feb 04, 2020
Differences between Osaka style and Hiroshima style Okonomiyaki
Okonomiyaki is one of the most popular Japanese dishes, but do you know that Osaka and Hiroshima serve their okonomiyaki differently?
Most of you probably think that okonomiyaki is a local food of Osaka, but actually, it’s also a local food of Hiroshima.
Today we’ll introduce the differences between Osaka style and Hiroshima style okonomiyaki in detail!
Osaka style okonomiyaki
Osaka style okonomiyaki looks like a pancake, and it’s filled with plenty vegetables, meat, and seafood.
Some of the most popular fillings of okonomiyaki are octopus, squid, shrimp, cabbage, mochi, thinly sliced meat (usually pork), and cheese. The dough itself is made of eggs, flour, water, dashi, and nagaimo (Japanese yam).
Okonomiyaki is cooked on teppan (iron plate) and topped with okonomiyaki sauce, mayonnaise, aonori (seaweed powder), and katsuobushi (bonito flakes).
Hiroshima style okonomiyaki
Unlike Osaka style okonomiyaki, Hiroshimayaki style okonomiyaki separates the dough and fillings. The fillings are stir-fried and wrapped with okonomiyaki dough.
The okonomiyaki is usually filled with cabbage, yakisoba (Japanese-style fried noodles), thinly sliced meat (usual pork), and a thin layer of Hiroshimayaki dough. The okonomiyaki is seasoned with a special sauce and aonori seaweed.
Most people call this okonomiyaki as “Hiroshimayaki”, but the locals prefer to call it as okonomiyaki.
Main differences of both versions
The main differences between both versions are the dough and the fillings.
Osaka style okonomiyaki has a thicker dough and has a pancake-like texture. Hiroshima style okonomiyaki has thinner dough, and it has a similar texture to omusoba (omelet and yakisoba).
Osaka’s style doesn’t have yakisoba inside it, but Hiroshima’s style has yakisoba as fillings.
Both taste good, but if you want your okonomiyaki to be fluffy, we recommend trying Osaka’s style. On the other hand, if you like noodles, we strongly recommend trying Hiroshima’s style when you visit Japan.
Where to try Osaka style okonomiyaki
There are a lot of shops selling Osaka style okonomiyaki; actually, most okonomiyaki stores sell Osaka style okonomiyaki. Our favorite okonomiyaki stores are Dottonbori; for its reasonable price, and Botejyu; for its well-crafted okonomiyaki.
Both stores have many branches all across Japan, so make sure to stop by and try Osaka style okonomiyaki at one of these stores when traveling in Japan.
Where to try Hiroshima style okonomiyaki
The best place to try Hiroshima style okonomiyaki is in Hiroshima prefecture. However, if you don’t have a chance to go there, try to visit Mitchan Sohonten in Shimbashi, Tokyo for its mouthwatering Hiroshima style okonomiyaki!
We share all interesting stories about Japan; travel guide, food, shopping, and many trivial stories. If you’re the one who loves Japan, this is your area.