Botejyu restaurant at the time
of establishment.
The passion toward okonomi-
yaki has been passed on from
generation to generation.
- Okonomiyaki dates back to the funoyaki of the mid-Edo period.
· a thin dessert pancake serviced for Buddhist ceremonies made from water and flour and topped with miso. - From the end of the Edo period to the Meiji period, the miso topping was replaced by bean jam and the funoyaki evolved into the sukesoyaki. This became a big hit in Tokyo and Osaka.
- With the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, the sukesoyaki took on the role of a staple food.
· In Tokyo, monjyayaki served with sauce was utilized as a means to supplement the food shortage.
· During the same time in Osaka, the sukesoyaki evolved into the betayaki or choboyaki which mixed in ingredients such as konnyaku and beans and was flavored with soy sauce. - Around 1935, the sauce flavor became prevalent and the name changed to yoshokuyaki.
- The name okonomiyaki was also coined around 1935.
· At that time, okonomiyaki was a cheap food made only from wheat flour and water. Gradually, different ingredients such as pork and eggs were added to the dish to suit one’s taste which is the definition of “okonomi”. - Botejyu invented the recipe for adding mayonnaise and Japanese mustard to the sauce flavor okonomiyaki in 1946.