Takoyaki ( or 蛸焼) is a ball-shaped Japanese snack made of a wheat flour-based batter and cooked in a special molded pan. It is typically filled with minced or diced octopus ( tako), tempura scraps ( tenkasu), beni shoga ( beni shoga), and Welsh onion ( negi).
Yaki 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 such as okonomiyaki and ikayaki (other famous dishes).
History
Takoyaki was first popularized in
Osaka,
where a street vendor named Tomekichi Endo is credited with its invention in 1935. In the early 20th century, in Osaka, there were snacks called ちょぼ焼き and rajioyaki that contained pieces of beef,
konjac or other ingredients.
Meanwhile, in Akashi in Hyōgo Prefecture, there was a snack made of an egg-rich batter and octopus, later named 明石焼き.
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 style of eating takoyaki with sauce and mayonnaise was established. Endo's takoyaki shop, named
Aizuya after
Aizu, 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, and later spread to the Kantō region and other areas of Japan. Takoyaki is associated with yatai street food 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 due to the historical influence of Japanese culture.[ "In Taiwan, top chefs are building on a long history of culinary exchange with Japan" , The Japan Times. Retrieved 2018-02-28.] In recent years, takoyaki can be eaten with various toppings and fillings (such as cheese or bacon
Takoyaki pan
A takoyaki-ki or—much more rarely—takoyaki nabe is typically a
griddle made of
cast iron with molds, similar to a traditional Yorkshire pudding 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 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, published in the 1990s and later adapted into an anime television series produced by Studio Pierrot that aired from April 1998 to September 1999, focuses on a group of takoyaki fighting crime.
In the Animal Crossing 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 mayonnaise
File:TakoyakiUeno.jpg|Takoyaki served with grated daikon and
File:Yakitori_Yatai.jpg|A takoyaki yatai in Yoyogi Park, Tokyo
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, Tokyo
File:築地 銀だこ (4896548536).jpg|Open kitchen store
See also
External links
