DON VINCENZO writes:

Here is another example of pizza in Japan.

— Comments —

Professor L. writes:

While Japanese pizza can be, shall we say, creative, with such toppings as canned tuna,
seaweed, mayonnaise, potatoes, eggs, and, most of all, corn being popular, what Don Vincenzo
sent a picture of is not pizza,** and is not considered pizza by the Japanese. It is okonomiyaki. Although there are quaint defectives who call it “Japanese pizza,” it is nothing of the sort. If likened to any Western cuisine, it could best be called a savory pancake, though even that is inaccurate.

Modern okonomiyaki goes back to the 1920s, though there were similar dishes in Japan as
early as the late 16th century. In our times, okonomiyaki consists of a pancake-like base of
flour, egg, and water (but no chemical leavening or yeast), with the ingredients mixed in.
Shredded cabbage is universal; beyond that, it’s whatever you like―the name means “grilled
what-you-like” (more or less). Some popular ingredients are thinly-sliced pork belly, octopus,
shrimp, squid, chopped green onion, pickled red ginger, and tenkasu (crunchy pieces of
deep-fried tempura batter, about the size of Rice Krispies), though restaurants offer many other
options. The ingredients are mixed together then cooked on a griddle; at many
okonomiyaki restaurants in Japan, customers cook it themselves.

Once the creation has been cooked on both sides, it is ready to eat. It is topped with one’s choice
of so-su (from English “sauce”), a sweetish, thick, brown sauce based on Worcestershire
sauce; Japanese mayonnaise; shaved dried fish (katsuobushi); and powder-like seaweed.
It might sound odd, but when prepared well, it can be quite tasty.

(An aside to Don Vincenzo’s comment in a previous post: despite the image in the West, raw fish is not a regular part of the Japanese diet―it is more for special occasions.)

** [Editor’s note: The lower photo was added by me from a website that identified it as pizza.]

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