By ARIHA NOMA/ Staff Writer
October 10, 2023 at 17:41 JST
Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki (Provided by Otafuku Sauce Co.)
The results of a survey on preferred styles of “okonomiyaki” were released ahead of Oct. 10, the day of the Japanese savory pancake.
The date plays on the Japanese pronunciation of number 10 as “ju,” reminiscent of the sizzling sound of okonomiyaki on a hot plate.
Okonomiyaki is said to be the soul food of western Japan, but its ingredients and cooking style vary by region, especially between Osaka and Hiroshima.
For Kansai-style okonomiyaki, ingredients are mixed into a flour batter and then cooked as a single-layered pancake.
In contrast, the Hiroshima-style layers its ingredients, beginning with a thin fried egg and crepe-like batter followed by vegetables, meat and stir-fried noodles.
Otafuku Sauce Co., a company based in Hiroshima city and known for its flagship Okonomi Sauce, conducted the online survey on 1,010 people aged 20 to 69 in Osaka, Hiroshima and Tokyo from June 19 to 23.
The company received 337 valid responses from Tokyo and Osaka Prefecture and 336 from Hiroshima Prefecture.
The survey asked: “What kind of okonomiyaki comes to mind when you hear the word?”
According to the results, 76.0 percent of respondents in Osaka opted for Kansai-style, while 76.8 percent in Hiroshima chose their Hiroshima-style.
Tokyo’s responses were more diverse: 33.5 percent picked Kansai-style, 17.5 percent chose Hiroshima-style, and 38.9 percent opted for both styles.
The survey also asked respondents if they could explain the difference between Kansai-style and Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki.
In Osaka, 62.3 percent of respondents said “yes,” but in Hiroshima, the percentage was a staggering 88.4 percent.
On the question about personal consumption at home, where respondents were allowed multiple answers, 94.7 percent in Osaka favored Kansai-style okonomiyaki and only 6.7 percent preferred Hiroshima-style.
In contrast, 70.3 percent in Hiroshima preferred Hiroshima-style, and 46.6 percent chose Kansai-style.
“In Osaka, Kansai-style was almost the only choice, however, in Hiroshima, some accepted Kansai-style. These results underscore the rich regional differences in views on okonomiyaki,” said an official of Otafuku Sauce. “We would like to continue our research on this subject.”
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