Which Japanese omelette is made by rolling layers of cooked beaten egg?

Tamagoyaki is the Japanese omelette made by rolling together layers of cooked beaten egg.

The eggs are cooked in successive thin layers, with each layer rolled over the previous one so the finished omelette forms a compact rectangle or cylinder. Cooks commonly use a rectangular pan called a makiyakinabe, although a standard frying pan can also work. Recipes may include sugar, salt, soy sauce, mirin, or dashi stock.

The name combines tamago, meaning egg, with yaki, referring to cooking over direct heat. A related style, dashimaki tamago, contains more dashi and is usually softer and more delicate. Tamagoyaki appears in Japanese breakfasts, lunch boxes, restaurant meals, and sushi settings, where it may be served as a sweet or savory finishing course.

It is sometimes confused with chawanmushi, which is a steamed savory egg custard, or omurice, rice wrapped in an omelette. Okonomiyaki is a cabbage-based savory pancake, not a layered rolled egg dish. Tamagoyaki’s defining feature is the repeated cooking and rolling process.