Takoyaki ( or ) is a ball-shaped Japanese snack made of a

wheat flour Wheat flour is a powder made from the grinding of common 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 ...

-based batter and cooked in a special molded pan. It is typically filled with minced or diced

octopus An octopus (: octopuses or octopodes) is a soft-bodied, eight-limbed mollusc of the order Octopoda (, ). The order consists of some 300 species and is grouped within the class Cephalopoda with squids, cuttlefish, and nautiloids. Like oth ...

(''tako''),

tempura is a typical Japanese dish that usually consists of seafood and vegetables that have been coated in a thin batter and deep-fried. Tempura originated in the 16th century, when Portuguese Jesuits brought the Western-style cooking method of ...

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'' a ...

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

green onion Scallions (also known as green onions and spring onions) are edible vegetables of various species in the genus ''Allium''. Scallions generally have a milder taste than most onions. Their close relatives include garlic, shallots, leeks, chive ...

(''negi''). The balls are brushed with takoyaki sauce (similar to

Worcestershire sauce Worcestershire sauce or Worcester sauce (UK: ) is a fermented liquid condiment invented by pharmacists John Wheeley Lea and William Henry Perrins in the city of Worcester in Worcestershire, England, during the first half of the 19th century ...

) and

mayonnaise Mayonnaise (), colloquially referred to as "mayo" (), is a thick, creamy sauce with a rich and tangy taste that is commonly used on sandwiches, hamburgers, Salad#Bound salads, bound salads, and French fries. It also forms the base for various o ...

, and then sprinkled with

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

(''aonori'') and shavings of dried

bonito Bonitos are a tribe of medium-sized, ray-finned, predatory fish in the family Scombridae, which it shares with the mackerel, tuna, and Spanish mackerel tribes, and also the butterfly kingfish. Also called the tribe Sardini, it consists of ...

(''

katsuobushi is simmered, smoked and fermented skipjack tuna (''Katsuwonus pelamis'', sometimes referred to as bonito). It is also known as bonito flakes or broadly as . Shaved ''katsuobushi'' and dried kelp—''kombu''—are the main ingredients of ...

''). 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 language, Japanese: ) is based on rice with m ...

such as ''

okonomiyaki is a Japanese ''teppanyaki'' 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 ...

'' 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

Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...

n dishes). Typically, it is eaten as a snack or between meals, but in some areas it is served as a side dish with rice. It is an example of ( in the

Kansai dialect The is a group of Japanese dialects in the Kansai region (Kinki region) of Japan. In Japanese, is the common name and it is called in technical terms. The dialects of Kyoto and Osaka are known as , and were particularly referred to as su ...

), or

flour Flour is a powder made by Mill (grinding), grinding raw grains, List of root vegetables, roots, beans, Nut (fruit), nuts, or seeds. Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredie ...

-based

History

Takoyaki was first popularized in

, where a

street vendor A hawker is a vendor of merchandise that can be easily transported; the term is roughly synonymous with costermonger or peddler. In most places where the term is used, a hawker sells inexpensive goods, handicrafts, or food items. Whether stationa ...

named Tomekichi Endo is credited with its invention in 1935. In the early 20th century, in Osaka, there were snacks called and that contained pieces of beef, konjac or other ingredients. Meanwhile, in Akashi in

Hyōgo Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Hyōgo Prefecture has a population of 5,469,762 () and a geographic area of . Hyōgo Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the east, Osaka Prefecture to th ...

, there was a snack made of an egg-rich batter and octopus, later named . Endo combined them and began selling it under the name takoyaki. It spread throughout Osaka, with various stalls making improvements, and after the

Pacific War The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War or the Pacific Theatre, was the Theater (warfare), theatre of World War II fought between the Empire of Japan and the Allies of World War II, Allies in East Asia, East and Southeast As ...

, the style of eating takoyaki with sauce and mayonnaise was established. Endo's takoyaki shop, named '' Aizuya'' after his hometown, still exists today and serves the original takoyaki without sauce or mayonnaise. Today, many shops offer different flavors of takoyaki, including ones filled with cheese or spicy seasonings. 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 metropol ...

, and later spread to the

Kantō region The is a geography, geographical region of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. In a common definition, the region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures of Japan, prefectures: Chiba Prefecture, Chiba, Gunma Prefe ...

and other areas of Japan. Takoyaki is associated with '' yatai''

street food Street food is food sold by a Hawker (trade), hawker or vendor on a street or at another public place, such as a market, fair, or park. It is often sold from a portable food booth, food cart, or food truck and is meant for immediate consumption ...

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 ( or ) is a popular style of food with several variations, including Chinese cuisine, Chinese and that of Taiwanese indigenous peoples, with the earliest cuisines known of being the indigenous ones. With over a hundred years of ...

due to the historical influence of Japanese culture. 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—takoyaki 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 onto a stove as ...

made of

cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content of more than 2% and silicon content around 1–3%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloying elements determine the form in which its car ...

with

hemispherical A sphere (from Ancient Greek, Greek , ) is a surface (mathematics), surface analogous to the circle, a curve. In solid geometry, a sphere is the Locus (mathematics), set of points that are all at the same distance from a given point in three ...

mold A mold () or mould () is one of the structures that certain fungus, fungi can form. The dust-like, colored appearance of molds is due to the formation of Spore#Fungi, spores containing Secondary metabolite#Fungal secondary metabolites, fungal ...

s, similar to a traditional

Yorkshire pudding Yorkshire pudding is a baked pudding made from a batter of eggs, flour, and milk or water. A common English side dish, it is a versatile food that can be served in numerous ways depending on its ingredients, size, and the accompanying compone ...

tray. 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, or , are traditional festive occasions often celebrated with dance and music in Japan. The origin of the word ''matsuri'' is related to the ; there are theories that the word ''matsuri'' is derived from meaning "to wait (for ...

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

Takoyaki is the favorite food of Taruruto, the title character of the 1988 manga series '' Magical Taruruto''. The food plays a major role in several episodes of the anime and a single tie-in film, and also serves as the many collectibles and potential platforms in several tie-in video games. A children's book named ''

Takoyaki Mantoman is a Japanese anime television series. It is about a group of caped, crime-fighting takoyaki men. It was produced by Studio Pierrot and broadcast for 77 episodes on TV Tokyo JOTX-DTV (channel 7), branded as is a Japanese television stat ...

'', published in the 1990s and later adapted into an

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

television series produced by

Studio Pierrot , previously known as until 2002, is a Japanese animation studio established in May 1979 by Yuji Nunokawa, previously an animator and director for Tatsunoko Production. Its headquarters are located in Mitaka, Tokyo. Pierrot is renowned for ...

that aired from April 1998 to September 1999, focuses on a group of takoyaki fighting crime. In the ''

Animal Crossing is a social simulation video game series developed and published by Nintendo. It was created by Katsuya Eguchi and Hisashi Nogami. The player character is a human who lives in a village inhabited by various anthropomorphic animals and can ...

'' series of video games, there is a villager named Zucker, based on takoyaki. He is an octopus with a round head resembling takoyaki, he generally wears a yukata, and his home is inspired by a traditional Japanese summer festival.

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

File:TakoyakiUeno.jpg, Takoyaki served with grated ''

daikon Daikon 大根 (だいこん) or mooli, (مولی) ''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 ...

'' and ''

tsuyu Tsuyu may refer to: * East Asian rainy season (梅雨) * Dipping sauce or soup served with Japanese noodles * Tsuyu Asui (蛙吹梅雨), a character in the manga and anime series ''My Hero Academia'' * (ツユ), a mu ...

'' 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, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

File:Takoyakikado.Pan.jpg, Square takoyaki pan with 16 molds File:Takoyaki sauce on the stall by clanchou in Ueno Park, Tokyo.jpg, Takoyaki sauce on a street vendor's stall in

Ueno Park is a spacious public park in the Ueno, Tokyo, Ueno district of Taitō, Tokyo, Japan. The park was established in 1873 on lands formerly belonging to the Buddhist temples in Japan, temple of Kan'ei-ji. Amongst the country's first public parks, i ...

, Tokyo File:築地銀だこ (4896548536).jpg, Open kitchen store

References

External links