A local group is planning to showcase the versatility of okonomiyaki pancakes by incorporating ingredients from the G7 conference held in May. Each pancake will feature Italian spaghetti and hamburger buns, with the city’s Okonomiyaki School recommending it for special occasions. This dish, which originated in Hiroshima as a meal for survival following the atomic bomb, has become the city’s signature dish. According to Otafuku Holdings Co. President and Academy Head Director Shigeki Sasaki, “Okonomiyaki has gone from being a dish for survival to becoming Hiroshima’s specialty.”

Given the current state of the world, the organizers hope to use this event to showcase how Hiroshima’s meals embody peace and healing. The Okonomiyaki School has conducted research on this dish worldwide and identified approximately 250 okonomiyaki restaurants in Hiroshima, adjacent prefectures, and other areas. Governor Hidehiko Yuzaki has requested G-7 okonomiyaki from the school, and the academy has selected Japan’s “niku-tama-soba” (meat-egg-noodle) okonomiyaki, made with batter, cabbage, bean sprouts, noodles, and pork. Other national cuisines, including France’s galette, America’s hamburger, Britain’s fish and chips, Germany’s sausage, potatoes, and sour cabbage, Italy’s carbonara, and Canada’s maple syrup, will also be featured on the menu.

To create the menu, academy members surveyed expatriates and contacted eateries to identify country-named meals. In January, they used trial and error to finalize the recipes, adding national ingredients to the okonomiyaki to create custom menus. For those who are interested, the recipes will be available online.