🍱 Furai (Japanese Pancake)
"Furai" in the northern Saitama region, including Gyoda City, is not a fried dish but rather a grilled one. It involves cooking a batter made of wheat flour and water, then adding vegetables, meat, and other ingredients. It is a dish similar to okonomiyaki or crepes. Originally, "Furai" was a simple snack made by farmers. The dish gained popularity, especially in the early Showa period, among female workers at sock factories in Gyoda, where it was easy to make, affordable, portable, and filling. It became well-established with an increasing number of shops offering it, and today, it is served in over 20 restaurants in Gyoda City. The name "Furai" has various theories, such as being derived from the region's history as a fabric-producing area ("Furai"), from the use of a frypan, or as a play on words with "Fuku yo koi" (Bring wealth).