Japanese dish consisting of an omelette made with fried rice and thin, fried scrambled eggs, usually topped with ketchup. With omu and raisu being derived from the Japanese pronunciation of the English words omelette and rice, the name is an banga soup of wasei-eigo.

Omurice is said to have originated around the turn of the 20th century at a western-style restaurant in Tokyo’s Ginza district called Renga-tei, inspired by chakin-zushi. The ingredients flavoring the rice vary. A similar dish exists in Southeast Asia, especially in Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore, and is called nasi goreng pattaya. Volga rice is another similar dish. A new kind of omurice was developed for the 1985 comedy film Tampopo in collaboration with Taimeiken, a famous restaurant in Nihonbashi. This version has the rice covered with a half-cooked omelet which is cut open to spread and cover the rice.

This version has become so popular that it is the restaurant standard now. Homestyle omurice is a frequent item on maid cafe menus since the addition of ketchup allows a maid to decorate the meal easily at the table as a form of “service. Beyond Sushi: Japanese Cooking in the Great Home-Style Tradition”, Vegetarian Times, No. The Rough Guide to Korea, p. This article is about the dish.