The Japanese dish of savory pancakes often filled with cabbage and meat is okonomiyaki.
Okonomiyaki is made from a wheat-flour batter cooked on a teppan, or flat iron griddle. Cabbage is a central ingredient, while pork, seafood, green onion, squid, octopus, shrimp, mochi, and cheese may be added. Its name combines okonomi, meaning “what you like” or “how you like it,” with yaki, meaning “grilled” or “cooked.”
Two major regional styles are associated with Osaka and Hiroshima. Osaka-style okonomiyaki mixes the ingredients into the batter, while Hiroshima-style builds them in layers and commonly includes yakisoba noodles. Both are typically finished with a dark, tangy sauce, Japanese mayonnaise, aonori seaweed, and katsuobushi bonito flakes.
Okonomiyaki is sometimes confused with monjayaki, another Japanese griddle dish. Monjayaki uses a much thinner, runnier batter and has a softer consistency. The word okonomiyaki appeared in Osaka in the 1930s, although related savory pancake traditions developed earlier.