Course | Snack |
---|---|
Place of origin | Japan |
Region or state | Osaka |
Main ingredients | Batter, octopus, tempura scraps (tenkasu), pickled ginger, green onion, takoyaki sauce (with mayonnaise), green laver (aonori) |
Variations | Taiwanese cuisine |
Takoyaki (たこ焼き 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 ), pickled ginger (beni shoga), and green onion (negi). [1] [2] The balls are brushed with takoyaki sauce (similar to Worcestershire sauce) and mayonnaise, and then sprinkled with green laver (aonori) and shavings of dried bonito ( katsuobushi ).
Yaki comes from yaku (焼く), 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 such as okonomiyaki and ikayaki (other famous Osakan dishes). [3] 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 konamono (konamon in the Kansai dialect), or flour-based Japanese cuisine.
Takoyaki was first popularized in Osaka, [4] where a street vendor named Tomekichi Endo is credited with its invention in 1935. In the 1930s, in Osaka, there was a food called radioyaki (ラジオ焼き or ラヂオ焼き, rajioyaki) that contained pieces of beef and konjac. Meanwhile, in Akashi in Hyōgo Prefecture, there was a small round dumpling made of an egg-rich batter and octopus, now known as akashiyaki (明石焼き). [5] Endo combined them and began selling it under the name takoyaki. It spread throughout Osaka, and various food stalls came up with creative ideas, and the style of eating it with sauce or mayonnaise became established. Endo's takoyaki shop, named Aizuya after his hometown, still exists today and serves the original takoyaki without sauce or mayonnaise.
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. [6]
It is also very popular in Taiwanese cuisine due to the historical influence of Japanese culture. [7] In recent years, takoyaki can be eaten with various toppings and fillings (such as cheese or bacon [8] ) as its cultural span has evolved in western parts of the world. The food, known as "octopus balls", quickly became popular throughout Japan. [9] [10]
A takoyaki pan (たこ焼き器, takoyaki-ki) or—much more rarely—takoyaki nabe is typically a griddle made of cast iron with hemispherical molds, similar to a traditional Yorkshire pudding tray. [2] 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.
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. [11]
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.[ citation needed ]
Sushi is a traditional Japanese dish made with vinegared rice, typically seasoned with sugar and salt, and combined with a variety of ingredients, such as seafood, vegetables, or meat: seafood is the most common, and may be served raw, cooked, or marinated. While sushi comes in numerous styles and presentation, the defining component is the vinegared rice, also known as shari (しゃり), or sumeshi (酢飯).
Tonkatsu is a Japanese dish that consists of a breaded, deep-fried pork cutlet. It involves coating slices of pork with panko, and then frying them in oil. The two main types are fillet and loin. Tonkatsu is also the basis of other dishes such as katsukarē and katsudon.
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 has its origins dating back to the 16th century, when Portuguese Jesuits brought the Western-style cooking method of coating foods with flour and frying, via Nanban trade.
Okonomiyaki is a Japanese teppanyaki, savory pancake dish consisting of wheat flour batter and other ingredients cooked on a teppan. Common additions include cabbage, meat, and seafood, and toppings include okonomiyaki sauce, aonori, katsuobushi, Japanese mayonnaise, and pickled ginger.
Ponzu (ポン酢) is a citrus-based sauce commonly used in Japanese cuisine. It is tart, with a thin, watery consistency. Ponzu shōyu or ponzu jōyu (ポン酢醤油) is ponzu with soy sauce added, and the mixed dark brown product is widely referred to as simply ponzu.
Akashiyaki (明石焼き) 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 before eating. Modern style akashiyaki was first sold in the Taishō period by a yatai owner Seitarō Mukai.
Sukiyaki is a Japanese dish that is prepared and served in the nabemono style.
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 tanuki-udon, respectively.
A fritter is a portion of meat, seafood, fruit, vegetables, or other ingredients which have been battered or breaded, or just a portion of dough without further ingredients, that is deep-fried. Fritters are prepared in both sweet and savory varieties.
A hushpuppy is a small, savory, deep-fried round ball made from cornmeal-based batter. Hushpuppies are frequently served as a side dish with seafood and other deep-fried foods.
Japanese cuisine has a vast array of regional specialities known as kyōdo ryōri (郷土料理) in Japanese, many of them originating from dishes prepared using local ingredients and traditional recipes.
Imagawayaki (今川焼き) is a wagashi often found at Japanese festivals as well as outside Japan, in countries such as Taiwan and South Korea. It is made of batter in a special pan, and filled with sweet azuki bean paste, although it is becoming increasingly popular to use a wider variety of fillings such as vanilla custard, different fruit custards and preserves, curry, different meat and vegetable fillings, potato and mayonnaise. Imagawayaki are similar to dorayaki, but the latter are two separate pancakes sandwiched around the filling after cooking, and are often served cold.
Motoyaki is a style of cooking, involving baked food topped with a mayonnaise-based sauce and served in an oyster shell. It is typically available in Japanese restaurants on the Pacific coast of Canada. Examples of motoyaki dishes are oyster motoyaki and lobster motoyaki.
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, rings cut from the body, or one or more tentacles, depending on the size. Ikayaki is served in many izakayas and a grilled tentacle on a stick is popular at Japanese festivals.
Squid is eaten in many cuisines; in English, the culinary name calamari is often used for squid dishes. There are many ways to prepare and cook squid. Fried squid is common in the Mediterranean. In New Zealand, Australia, the United States, Canada, and South Africa, it is sold in fish and chip shops, and steakhouses. In Britain, it can be found in Mediterranean 'calamari' or Asian 'salt and pepper fried squid' forms in various establishments, often served as a bar snack, street food, or starter.
Regional street food is street food that has commonalities within a region or culture.
People of some cultures eat octopus. The arms and sometimes other body parts are prepared in various ways, often varying by species and/or geography.