[Sunday Culture] Omurice Restaurant Visited by Korean and Japanese Leaders, Amid 'Originality Controversy'...

128-Year History Rengatei... Birthplace of Western-Style Cuisine
However, Original Claims Over Fork Cutlet and More

Editor's NoteOn a sluggish Sunday, both body and mind, a reporter from the International Department brings you an interesting read related to Japanese culture.

The most talked-about food this week seems to be Omurice. This is because the leaders of South Korea and Japan visited Rengatei, a Western-style restaurant in Tokyo's Ginza with a 128-year history, and ate Omurice there.

Today, we introduce various stories related to this Omurice. First, we explain the story behind the food?how Omurice, which even the Korean president has visited to try, was born. Then, we will introduce the 'origin controversy' raised about Rengatei in Japan.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

How Was Omurice Born?

First, the history of Omurice. Rengatei, visited by the leaders of both countries this time, is considered the birthplace of Omurice. It opened in 1895 and has been operating ever since. It is known not only for Omurice but also for creating recipes for Western-style dishes such as Tonkatsu and Hayashi rice that we know today.

This Western-style cuisine essentially consists of a main dish like Tonkatsu or Omurice served on one plate along with cabbage salad and rice. Rengatei is said to have devised this method. Originally, most places served cooked vegetables as a side, but Rengatei is said to have started offering fresh cabbage salad to cleanse the palate.

Early omurice of Rengatei.

How did Omurice come about here? This menu, born in 1900, was originally not offered to customers. It was simply minced meat, onions, mushrooms, and other ingredients stir-fried with rice and seasoned quickly, then eggs were beaten and shaped into an omelet form. You can think of it as a Western-style egg fried rice. They did not even put ketchup on it. It was completely different from the Omurice shape we know today. From 1901, due to customer requests to sell it, it was added to the menu. Rengatei reportedly sells both this original rice and the typical Omurice.

Then, where did the form we know?fried rice wrapped in egg with ketchup?come from? There is another restaurant in Japan claiming to be the birthplace of Omurice: "Hokkyokusei" in Osaka. In 1925, this restaurant created a dish wrapped in a thin egg crepe for a regular customer who always ordered only omelet and rice due to stomach discomfort. When the customer said it was delicious and asked for the name, the staff spontaneously combined "omelet" and "rice" and answered "Omurice," which is the origin story.

This form is the closest to the current Omurice, but since it appeared much later than Rengatei, the perception in Japan is stronger that "the original is Rengatei." Still, this Osaka restaurant also introduces itself as the originator of Omurice on its official website. So, in the end, there are two places claiming to be the birthplace of Omurice.

Origin Controversy Raised About Rengatei

The Modern Food Culture Research Institute began to argue that "Rengatei's pork cutlet is not the original." Although Rengatei is known as a Western-style restaurant, it actually started as one of many pork cutlet shops in Ginza at the time, and pork cutlets were already being sold everywhere before they claimed to have invented it.

The institute raised suspicions by pointing out that the stories told by the third and fourth generation owners differ. The third generation owner said, "After the Russo-Japanese War, Western food became popular, and because there were many customers and it was busy, we decided to simplify the cooking process of French pork cutlet, which requires many steps. Cutlets are baked in the oven, but we got the idea from frying and started frying them."

However, the fourth generation owner said, "Originally, it started with beef cutlets. It is a dish where meat is coated with breadcrumbs and cooked in a pan with melted butter." He added, "When we tried frying it by combining it with Japanese-style frying, it tasted better. Since people in the Kanto region prefer pork, we started frying pork instead of beef, which became the origin." Since their stories differ, the institute claims something is suspicious. Of course, this claim was only raised as a suspicion and did not lead to further repercussions or influence. The origin can change depending on the criteria used.

Despite these various stories, it still seems to be the established view in Japan that Rengatei, with its history of over 100 years, is the main stream that created the framework of Western-style cuisine.

Today, we have shared the story of the much-discussed Omurice. Along with the Omurice story, there are reports that shuttle diplomacy between South Korea and Japan has resumed. We will have to see whether the long-frozen relations between the two countries will thaw. While interpretations of restaurant history may vary, there should be no controversies over the history of nations.