Hiroshima Original · Layered, Not Mixed
Hiroshima-yaki
Photo: woinary from Food court Okonomi Hiroba in Hiroshima Airport in Mihara, Hiroshima / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
It grew from issen yoshoku, a prewar snack of thin batter folded over scallions sold cheaply to children; cabbage and noodles were added after the war to turn it into a full meal.
A thin crepe of batter is laid first, then piled with shredded cabbage, bean sprouts, pork belly, a portion of griddle-fried yakisoba noodles and a fried egg, stacked layer by layer on the teppan rather than mixed, and finished with a thick, sweet sauce.
Why it's made this way: The dish grew out of postwar Hiroshima food stalls serving cheap, filling meals built around affordable cabbage and noodles, and the city's cooks kept the layered, noodle-added format that diverged from Osaka's mixed-batter style, turning it into a distinct point of local pride.
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Part of World of Street Food — 3443 dishes from 118 countries.
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