Hiroshima fu Okonomiyaki
“Okonomi” means “favorite food” and “Yaki” means “bake”. There are two main types of Okonomiyaki. One is Kansai style and the other is Hiroshima style. In Kansai style, sliced cabbage, your favorite ingredients — rice cake, noodles, cheeses, etc. — and flour are mixed with fish broth in a bowl, and all of them are poured on a hot iron plate. In Hiroshima style, thin flour cake like crepe are baked on a hot plate first, and then cabbage and the remaining ingredients are on top of it. All of them are flipped over onto a fried egg. Before you eat it, dried green laver, dried bonito shavings and sweet and spicy sauce called Okonomi sauce are put on it.
Okonomiyaki is cut into several pieces with an iron spatula. You scoop up and eat the pieces with the spatula, while taking care not to burn your mouth. The sauce brings out the sweetness of cabbages. The texture and smell of baked rice cakes and noodles are so good that cold beer goes well with Okonomiyaki.
