Food - Drink
The Hazy Origins Of Omurice
By CYRENA GOURDEAU
If you're a fan of French or American omelets, you should seek out Japanese omurice, which is traditionally a mound of chicken fried rice wrapped in a thin, fluffy omelet and topped with ketchup. As a unique Japanese-Western fusion dish, omurice's origins are complex and not entirely clear, despite its relatively young age.
Omurice is in the category of "yoshoku," dishes with Western roots that were developed in Japan and adapted to suit Japanese tastes. Renga-Tei, a Western-style restaurant in Tokyo, claims to have invented omurice in 1900, but the restaurant Hokkyokusei in Osaka, opened in 1922, also claims to be the inventor.
Regardless of who invented the dish, we know that omurice caught on during the post-WII Meiji restoration, when foreign influence led Japanese citizens to eat more animal products. Today, omurice is also popular in Korea and Taiwan, and many recipes change up the flavor of the fried rice or the shape and consistency of the omelet.