Takoyaki
Takoyaki is a classic Osaka fast food that can be bought from food stalls and casually eaten on street corners. Its history is surprisingly short, with stores only beginning to pop up in the city in the 1950s. At the time, octopus was caught in large quantities in Osaka Bay, so it could be said to be a quintessential Osaka food that uses the octopus to the fullest. There are various theories about who invented it, but it is said to have originated from "choboyaki" and "radioyaki," which were popular from the Taisho to Showa periods.
Choboyaki is similar to today's takoyaki makers, made by pouring wheat flour dissolved in water into a copper or iron plate with a semicircular depression, then adding pickled ginger, konjac, green onions and soy sauce and baking it. It was sold at sweet shops and was probably a sort of snack for children. Takoyaki was born from this, but it evolved by dissolving wheat flour in dashi instead of water and adding octopus, making it something that adults can easily eat as well.
The taste varies depending on the dough, seasoning, and degree of baking, making it a simple yet profound dish. The style of eating it with sauce, mayonnaise, green seaweed, and bonito flakes is said to have been influenced by postwar okonomiyaki.
I never get tired of watching the guy at the stall wearing a headband turn the balls over with an awl to make them into balls. He uses a toothpick to point at the takoyaki lined up on a bamboo boat and enjoys them piping hot. Takoyaki is said to be delicious when it is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
In Osaka, people make takoyaki at home, so much so that it is said to be true, like an urban legend, that every household has one takoyaki maker.
By the way, ``Akashiyaki'', which originated in the neighboring city of Akashi in Hyogo Prefecture, is served with soft takoyaki-like pieces lined up on a wooden plate on a cutting board. It is eaten by dipping it in a soup-like soup stock and is called ``tamagoyaki'' in Akashi.
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