Japan's 'Soul Food' Wins New Fan In Britain's PM Sunak. Delicacy Name Inside

The ingredients are layered before cooking in Hiroshima, whereas they are combined first in Osaka. Sunak ate okonomiyaki alongside Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (C) is shown how to make traditional Japanese Okonomiyaki pancakes at a restaurant.

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The cheap and cheerful savoury Japanese pancake that evokes both local pride and deep rivalry in the city of Hiroshima has a new fan in British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Sunak sampled okonomiyaki, a heaped mound of batter, cabbage, noodles, and often meat that is fried on a hot plate and then smothered in savoury sauce, during his visit to the three-day Group of Seven (G7) leaders summit in Hiroshima, news agency Reuters reported. 

Its name translates to "cooked as you like," and it is widely regarded as "soul food" in Japan. In some restaurants, it is fried in front of the customers, while in others, it is fried by the customers themselves. It is also the subject of fierce regional rivalry, similar to the debate in the United States over thin crust versus Chicago-style deep dish pizza.

In Hiroshima, the ingredients are layered before cooking, whereas in Osaka, they are combined first. Sunak tried okonomiyaki with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who represents Hiroshima in parliament.

During his visit, Sunak told Reuters that he "particularly enjoyed" the okonomiyaki.

"Prime Minister Kishida pointed out to me how you do that - how you do that here in Hiroshima differs from how they do it in Tokyo, different from how they do it in Osaka," he said on the sidelines of the G7 summit.

"He said the ones from Hiroshima are the best. I don't see why I shouldn't agree. It has been delicious," he said. 

Hiroshima, which has a population of over one million people, has over 800 Okonomiyaki restaurants. Ahead of the G7 summit, some local restaurants prepared special versions to appeal to foreign palates by incorporating ingredients from the various G7 countries.

There's one with German sauerkraut and one with maple syrup from Canada. The French pancake contains cabbage, bean sprouts, bacon, cheese, sauce, and a fried egg.

According to the report, it was unclear whether Sunak got to try the British version, which included fish and chips, or even if he wanted to.