One of the most popular dishes in the yōshoku (European-style Japanese cuisine) canon is omuraisu (rice omelette), often Anglicized as omurice. Its vibrant colors can really brighten up a dull, rainy-season day.
There are several theories on the origins of omurice, but the earliest place to feature a French-style omelette with stir-fried rice (a combination of Chinese and European influences) is the legendary yōshoku restaurant Rengatei, in Ginza, Tokyo, which is widely regarded as the originator of several well-known yōshoku dishes. However, the "rice omelette" first served by Rengatei in 1900 seems to have combined the egg and rice before it was cooked into an omelette.
In 1925, another legendary yōshoku restaurant in Shinsaibashi, Osaka, called Hokkyokusei, introduced an omelette wrapped around ketchup-flavored stir-fried rice, which is closer to one of the current forms of the dish. In either case, the objective was to create an easy-to-digest dish that could be conveniently eaten with a spoon. To this day, both restaurants still serve dishes they call "original omuraisu."
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