Is There A Difference Between An Omelette And Tamagoyaki?

Everyone loves breakfast food (why else would folks love to eat breakfast for dinner?). Breakfast can be as simple or as complex as you'd like. From easy-to-make fluffy pancakes to a wide and extensive spread of fruits, carbs, and sweet treats that would make French royalty blush, there is no wrong way to do breakfast. But when it comes down to it, there is only one ingredient that steals the show come breakfast time for its ease of use and simple versatility, and that is the humble egg. 

According to The Incredible Egg, folks have been domesticating hens (and other fowl) for eggy purposes for centuries tracing back to 600 BC in Europe. For all its grandeur and longevity, the egg is actually super down-to-earth and go with the flow. With a solid batch of eggs, folks can make scrambled eggs, fry them until they have the perfect crispy edge, and even make omelettes. Each culture has their own take on the omelette, so depending on your mood, you can make things like the simple and elegant French omelette or its meatier counterpart the Japanese tamagoyaki.

While both fall under the category of omelette, the two are fairly distinctive when compared side-by-side. According to Allrecipes, the omelette only requires eggs and butter (because what is a French dish without the addition of butter). For the tamagoyaki, you will need a few more ingredients like sugar, salt, vinegar, soy sauce, and miso, per Bon Appétit. The publication also cites that things like sake, mirin, dashi, and/or dashi powder can be added to the mix as well. 

As a Tasty cooking video shows, the finished product for both omelettes are visually very different. Where the omelette is creamy and circular, the tamagoyaki is fluffy and a bit more rectangular. Why does the tamagoyaki look more rectangular? That's due to the pan that it is cooked in, Bon Appétit explains. Tamagoyaki is typically made in a rectangular tamagoyaki pan that helps facilitate all the flipping action that occurs. Regardless of which you are looking to indulge on, one thing holds certain for both of these eggy delights — they we will be utterly delicious.