Photo/Illutration Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak enthusiastically watches okonomiyaki being cooked in Hiroshima on May 20. (Pool)

Okonomiyaki, the ultimate “soul food” of western Japan, is taking off overseas, and perhaps one day will rival sushi and ramen in the foreign popularity stakes. 

That, at least, is the hope of one Hiroshima-based company trying to promote the dish.

The number of restaurants abroad dedicated to okonomiyaki has increased by 40 percent in the past five years, mainly in Asian countries, where street cooking is an artform.

One of the reasons for the boom lies in okonomiyaki’s versatility, meaning that practically any combination of ingredients can be used for the dish, often erroneously referred to as Japanese-style pancake. It is so much more than that.

RISHI SUNAK AS A COOK

OKOSTA in Hiroshima, a facility where visitors can experience cooking okonomiyaki on a flat griddle, captured global attention after it was featured in media coverage in May of Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak cooking up a storm there during his visit to the city for the Group of Seven summit.

Otafuku Sauce Co., a Hiroshima-based company that makes and sells okonomiyaki sauce, opened the cooking salon in 2018.

In April, the number of foreign nationals trying out their cooking skills at OKOSTA reached 633, the largest to date, outpacing the number of Japanese visitors.

During the G-7 summit, the number of page views on OKOSTA’s website jumped to more than 10 times the usual figure.

According to the company, the number of okonomiyaki restaurants overseas increased 1.4-fold between 2016 and 2021, from around 300 to 430 or so.

South Korea has the largest number of okonomiyaki eateries, around 100, followed by 50 in China and 35 in Taiwan.

Okonomiyaki has also taken off in Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Vietnam.

Otafuku Sauce officials credit the popularity of the dish in Asia to the fact that octopus is a popular item on menus and “takoyaki” (octopus dumpling) has already made inroads.

EUROPE NEXT TARGET

The company is now hoping to build on that success in Europe, where currently there are only around 30 okonomiyaki restaurants.

In November, officials of the company’s international business section formed a task force “to spread okonomiyaki in Europe.”

This led to an event being held in Paris on June 12 called the “Otafuku thanksgiving festival.”

Restaurateurs of okonomiyaki eateries in Britain, Germany, Lithuania and elsewhere were invited to the event and left free to network.

Although okonomiyaki doesn’t have the same name recognition as Japanese dishes like sushi and ramen, officials figure that can change.

“We aim to make okonomiyaki as popular,” said a company representative.

Otafuku Sauce exports its Okonomi sauce, the company’s mainstay product, to around 50 countries.

To pitch okonomiyaki overseas, the company focuses on tasting sales events rather than marketing its sauces. 

The strategy is based on the company’s experience in the 1980s, when it expanded its sales channels in Tokyo and other areas through tasting sales.

In New York, company reps organize okonomiyaki tasting sales in supermarkets.

They also give advice to okonomiyaki restaurants in New York if necessary.

Company officials recently traveled to London to take part in an event to show off their okonomiyaki-making skills mastered through intracompany training.

Noting that different areas have different food cultures, company officials contend that what makes okonomiyaki stand out is its versatility.

SKY’S THE LIMIT

The main ingredients of okonomiyaki are flour, sliced cabbage and eggs.

After that, anything goes.

For example, vegetarians can substitute meat with soy meat.

Muslims can remove pork from the ingredients.

The company also sells halal okonomiyaki sauce in countries such as Malaysia, which has a large Muslim population.

“Okonomiyaki lets dinners sit at the same table and converse,” said a company rep. “That’s one of the great things about okonomiyaki.”

Related News