Takoyaki たこ焼き
Small balls of dashi-based batter with pieces of octopus inside, cooked in a pan with round moulds. A classic Osaka street food.
About Takoyaki
- What it is: Batter filled with diced octopus, tenkasu (tempura bits), pickled ginger and spring onion, turned with a pick in a cast-iron pan until round. It is topped with sauce, mayonnaise, aonori and bonito flakes.
- Where to try it: Osaka, where it is sold from stalls on almost every street corner and is also often made at home. Elsewhere, look for festival stalls, specialist takoyaki counters, supermarkets and convenience stores.
- Background: It grew out of earlier Osaka snacks in the 1930s, and Osaka Bay's plentiful octopus helped it catch on. Akashiyaki from Akashi in Hyogo is a softer cousin dipped in clear broth.
- How to eat it: It comes on a small tray with a toothpick. A good one is crisp outside and soft inside, so eat it freshly made.
SeasonAll year
Known for it
- OsakaBirthplace of takoyaki, sold at street stalls across the city
Checked against: Takoyaki | Osaka: Gastronomy, History and Charm to Discover | OSAKA-INFO · Takoyaki | Wikipedia · Japanese Food: 6 Yatai Festival Foods | Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaiʻi.
Takoyaki on Shibuya246
Photos and stories from the blog, as they were written at the time.
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