Japan is home to many interesting foods, only a small number of which are generally known to the outside world. Like taiyaki, sweet bean paste cooked inside a shell shaped like a fish, great to eat in the winter (see a chocolate version here), or chawan-mushi, chicken and other good things steamed inside a heavenly egg custard, often served as a separate course in traditional Japanese meals. Another enigmatic food is takoyaki, especially popular in the Osaka region ever since it was invented in 1935. In stark contrast to the English word taco, tako is Japanese for octopus; to differentiate the crustacean from the Mexican food, the Japanese always use the plural word “tacos” (takosu) for referring to the latter, even if they’re talking about just one taco. Takoyaki are basically fried balls of batter that contain a piece of cooked octopus meat inside, painted with a delicious sauce, which is great to eat piping hot while walking around a summer festival. While many wouldn’t be too thrilled at the idea of eating octopus meat, it actually has no taste and is strangely satisfying to chew, and it’s become one of my favorite foods. Once in rural Japan my wife and I happened across a takoyaki vendor who’d decided to call his little shop Tako Bell, which was such an unexpected thing to see we howled with laughter. If you’re curious about this unique Japanese food, FritoLay has created a crunchy Takoyaki-flavored snack that we’ve posted today.
Takoyaki is a famous food in the Kansai region that I like.
