Oyakodon is one of the most common items on Japanese restaurants’ lunch menus. Oyakodon is composed of chicken and egg served over rice, with a savory and sweet sauce that ties the dish altogether. In a hunt to find the first restaurant to offer oyakodon, SoraNews24 found it located in Tokyo, still in business.
Tamahide, a hotpot restaurant, was the first establishment to offer oyakodon in its menu. Located in downtown Tokyo’s Ningyocho neighborhood, the restaurant’s samurai estate aesthetic fits its own history. Founded in the 1760s when Japan was still ruled by the Tokugawa dynasty, the restaurant only began to serve oyakodon a hundred years later, when they noticed that some diners would take the leftovers from their hotpot, pour it over a bowl of rice, and mix it with egg. Taking that into consideration, Tamahide began serving its first oyakodon in 1891.
image credit: via SoraNews24