© Daiju Azuma · CC BY-SA 2.5

🥩 Nikuten (Beef Tendon Japanese Pancake)

In Takasago City, there is a dish called "nikuten," which is a type of okonomiyaki (Japanese pancake) made by folding thinly stretched dough over seasoned potatoes, beef tendon, konjac(=yam cake), cabbage, etc., and then grilling it. It is commonly enjoyed as a home-cooked meal. While the exact origin is unclear, it became popular after World War II when wheat flour started to be imported from the United States. It is said that people started making nikuten using leftover oden ingredients the day after enjoying oden at home. The name "nikuten" is thought to come from the inclusion of "suji-niku" (beef tendon) and "tenkasu" (tempura bits).