Griddle · Osaka & Hiroshima Classic

Okonomiyaki (お好み焼き)

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Its name literally means "grilled as you like it" — there's no fixed recipe, just shredded cabbage, batter, and whatever topping the cook fancies.

Shredded cabbage is folded into a savory batter with a topping of choice — usually pork belly or seafood — cooked on a hot iron griddle, then finished with okonomiyaki sauce, mayonnaise, bonito flakes and dried seaweed.

Why it's made this way: It evolved from an older grilled-pancake tradition into a cheap, filling wartime dish made from affordable, available ingredients, and became a fixture of Japan's yatai street-cart culture.