is a ball-shaped Japanese snack made of a

wheat flour Wheat flour is a powder made from the grinding of wheat used for human consumption. Wheat varieties are called "soft" or "weak" if gluten content is low, and are called "hard" or "strong" if they have high gluten content. Hard flour, or ''bread ...

-based batter and cooked in a special molded pan. It is typically filled with minced or diced octopus (''tako''),

tempura is a typical Japanese dish usually consisting of seafood, meat and vegetables that have been battered and deep fried. The dish was introduced by the Portuguese in Nagasaki through fritter-cooking techniques in the 16th century. The word ...

scraps (''

tenkasu are crunchy bits of deep fried flour- batter used in Japanese cuisine, specifically in dishes such as '' soba'', ''udon'', ''takoyaki'' and ''okonomiyaki''. Hot plain ''soba'' and ''udon'' with added ''tenkasu'' are called ''tanuki-soba'' and ...

''), pickled ginger (''beni shoga''), and

green onion Scallions (also known as spring onions or green onions) are vegetables derived from various species in the genus ''Allium''. Scallions generally have a milder taste than most onions and their close relatives include garlic, shallot, leek, ...

(''negi''). The balls are brushed with takoyaki sauce (similar to Worcestershire sauce) and mayonnaise, and then sprinkled with

green laver Green laver (), known as ''aonori'' (; ) in Japan, ''sea cabbage'' () or ''hutai'' () in China, and ''parae'' () in Korean, is a type of edible green seaweed, including species from the genera ''Monostroma'' and ''Ulva'' (''Ulva prolifera'', ''U ...

(''aonori'') and shavings of dried bonito ('' katsuobushi''). ''Yaki'' comes from , which is one of the cooking methods in Japanese cuisine, meaning 'to grill', and can be found in the names of other dishes in

Japanese cuisine Japanese cuisine encompasses the regional and traditional foods of Japan, which have developed through centuries of political, economic, and social changes. The traditional cuisine of Japan (Japanese: ) is based on rice with miso soup and oth ...

such as ''

okonomiyaki is a Japanese savory pancake dish consisting of wheat flour batter and other ingredients (mixed, or as toppings) cooked on a '' teppan'' (flat griddle). Common additions include cabbage, meat, and seafood, and toppings include ''okonomiyaki' ...

'' and ''

ikayaki is a popular fast food in Japan. In much of Japan, the term refers to simple grilled squid topped with soy sauce; the portion of squid served may be the whole body (minus entrails), rings cut from the body, or one or more tentacles, depending ...

'' (other famous Osakan dishes). Basically, it is eaten as a snack or between meals, but in some areas it is served as a side dish with rice.

History

Takoyaki was first popularized in

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...

, where a street vendor named Tomekichi Endo is credited with its invention in 1935. Takoyaki was inspired by

akashiyaki is a small round dumpling from the city of Akashi in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. The dumpling is made of an egg-rich batter and octopus dipped into '' dashi'' (a thin fish broth) before eating. Modern style akashiyaki first started selling in t ...

, a small round dumpling from the city of

Akashi Akashi may refer to: People *Akashi (surname) Places *Akashi, Hyōgo *Akashi Station, a Japanese railroad station on the Sanyō Main Line *Akashi Strait *Akashi Kaikyō Bridge, crossing the former *Akashi Castle *Akashi Domain * Akashi, the name ...

in Hyōgo Prefecture made of an egg-rich batter and octopus. Takoyaki was initially popular in the

Kansai region The or the , lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū. The region includes the prefectures of Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo and Shiga, often also Mie, sometimes Fukui, Tokushima and Tottori. The metropoli ...

, and later spread to the Kantō region and other areas of Japan. Takoyaki is associated with '' yatai''

street food Street food is ready-to-eat food or drinks sold by a hawker, or vendor, in a street or at other public places, such as markets or fairs. It is often sold from a portable food booth, food cart, or food truck and is meant for immediate consumpt ...

stalls, and there are many well-established takoyaki specialty restaurants, particularly in the Kansai region. Takoyaki is now sold at commercial outlets, such as supermarkets and 24-hour convenience stores. It is also very popular in

Taiwanese cuisine Taiwanese cuisine (, Bopomofo:ㄊㄞˊㄨㄢˉㄌㄧㄠˋㄌㄧˇ, or , Bopomofo:ㄊㄞˊㄨㄢˉㄘㄞˋ) has several variations. The earliest known cuisines of Taiwan are that of the Taiwanese indigenous peoples. Over hundred years of histor ...

due to the historical influence of Japanese culture. The oldest known takoyaki store is Aizuya in Osaka. Founded by Tomakichi Endo, it has been open since the 1930s. The first takoyaki included beef and

konjac Konjac (or konjak, ) is a common name of the East and Southeast Asian plant ''Amorphophallus konjac'' ( syn. ''A. rivieri''), which has an edible corm (bulbo-tuber). It is also known as konjaku, konnyaku potato, devil's tongue, voodoo lily, sn ...

, but later Endo switched to using the now traditional octopus and added flavor to the batter. The takoyaki are then eaten with

brown sauce Brown sauce is a condiment commonly served with food in the United Kingdom and Ireland, normally dark brown in colour. The taste is either tart or sweet with a peppery taste similar to that of Worcestershire sauce. Brown sauce is typically eate ...

, similar to Worcestershire sauce. In recent years, takoyaki can be eaten with various toppings and fillings (such as cheese or bacon) as its cultural span has evolved in western parts of the world. The food, known as "octopus balls", quickly became popular throughout Japan.

Takoyaki pan

A or—much more rarely— is typically a

griddle A griddle, in the UK also called a girdle, is a cooking device consisting mainly of a broad, usually flat cooking surface. Nowadays it can be either a movable metal pan- or plate-like utensil, a flat heated cooking surface built into a stove or ...

made of

cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron– carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impur ...

with hemispherical

mold A mold () or mould () is one of the structures certain fungi can form. The dust-like, colored appearance of molds is due to the formation of spores containing fungal secondary metabolites. The spores are the dispersal units of the fungi. Not ...

s. The heavy iron evenly heats the takoyaki, which are turned with a pick during the heating process to pull the uncooked batter to the base of the rounded cavity. Commercial gas-fueled takoyaki cookers are used at

Japanese festivals Japanese festivals are traditional festive occasions often celebrated with dance and music in Japan. Many festivals have their roots in traditional Chinese festivals, but have undergone extensive changes over time to have little resemblance ...

or by street vendors. For home use, electric versions resemble a hotplate; stovetop versions are also available, and many incorporate a non-stick coating to facilitate turning.

In popular culture

A children's book named

Takoyaki Mantoman is a Japanese anime television series. It is about caped crime fighting ''takoyaki''. It was produced by Pierrot and broadcast for 77 episodes on TV Tokyo from April 1998 to September 1999. The anime was based on a series of children's pictu ...

published in the 1990s and later adapted into an

anime is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening of ...

television series produced by Studio Pierrot that aired from April 1998 to September 1999. In the Animal Crossing series of video games, there is a villager that comes up in multiple versions of the game. This villager is named Zucker and is based off of takoyaki. Takoyaki was featured on the Netflix Television series, ''

Street Food Street food is ready-to-eat food or drinks sold by a hawker, or vendor, in a street or at other public places, such as markets or fairs. It is often sold from a portable food booth, food cart, or food truck and is meant for immediate consumpt ...

'', in the

Osaka, Japan is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2.7 ...

episode. In the video game

Yakuza 0 ''Yakuza 0'' is an action-adventure game developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and published by Sega. It is the sixth main entry in the '' Yakuza series'' and a prequel to the original game. It was released for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 in J ...

Goro Majima Goro Majima ( Japanese: 真島吾朗, Hepburn: ''Majima Gorō'') is a major recurring character in Sega's ''Like a Dragon'' video game series, previously known as ''Yakuza'' outside of Japan. He is one of the main playable protagonists of '' Y ...

attempts to cheer up Makoto Makimura by bringing her some takoyaki made by a street vendor in the fictional Osaka area of Sotenbori. An Internet meme originating from

the Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

showcases a variation of the food in a viral video with the phrase, "''Nakatikim ka na ba ng tig-dalawang pisong takoyaki?''", meaning "Have you ever tried the "two-peso takoyaki"?". Even though the food showcased in the video does not contain any octopus, the uploader continues to describe it as such thus resulting into many variations of the meme.

Image gallery

File:Takoyaki_at_the_Richmond_Night_Market_by_SqueakyMarmot.jpg, Cooking takoyaki File:Takoyaki-1.jpg, Takoyaki served with Japanese Worcester sauce and mayonnaise File:TakoyakiUeno.jpg, Takoyaki served with grated ''

daikon Daikon or mooli, ''Raphanus sativus'' var. ''longipinnatus,'' is a mild-flavored winter radish usually characterized by fast-growing leaves and a long, white, root. Originally native to continental East Asia, daikon is harvested and consumed ...

'' and '' tsuyu'' File:Yakitori_Yatai.jpg, A takoyaki yatai in

Yoyogi Park is a park in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. It is located adjacent to Harajuku Station and Meiji Shrine in Yoyogikamizonochō. The park is a popular Tokyo destination, especially on Sundays when it is used as a gathering place for Japanese rock music ...

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

File:Takoyakikado.Pan.jpg, Square takoyaki pan with 16 molds File:築地銀だこ (4896548536).jpg, Open kitchen store

References

External links