Omurice

Etymology

With omu and raisu being derived from the Japanese pronunciation of the English words omelet and rice, the name is an example of wasei-eigo.

History

Omurice is said to have originated around the turn of the 20th century at a western-style restaurant in Tokyo's Ginza district called Renga-tei, inspired by chakin-zushi. The dish was brought to Korea and Taiwan, and it is popular cuisine. It is a fixture on gimbap restaurant menus throughout South Korea, where it is rendered as "오므라이스 (omeuraiseu)" in Hangul.

Variations

The dish typically consists of chikin raisu (chicken rice: rice pan-fried with ketchup and chicken) wrapped in a thin sheet of fried scrambled eggs. The ingredients flavoring the rice vary. Often, the rice is fried with various meats (but typically chicken) and/or vegetables, and can be flavored with beef stock, ketchup, demi-glace, white sauce or simply salt and pepper. Sometimes, rice is replaced with fried noodles (yakisoba) to make omusoba. A variant in Okinawa is omutako, consisting of an omelet over taco rice. Fried hot dog and Spam are also two popular meats to include in the dish.

Similar dishes

A similar dish exists in Southeast Asia, especially in Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore, and is called nasi goreng pattaya. It is a fried rice dish, covering chicken fried rice in thin fried egg or omelet.

Volga rice is another similar dish.

In popular culture

A scene in the 1985 comedy film Tampopo shows omurice being made.

Omurice is seen in a large selection of anime, nearly always seen as a food dish for children or in a childlike manner.