History of Takoyaki Osaka Grilled Octopus Ball 🐙

Takoyaki or Japanese grilled octopus balls are found around the world, for example in Singapore night markets or pasar malam where they are very popular.

So, I am curious about what are these tasty umami savoury balls which are slightly crisp outside while soft and moist / gooey inside filled with different choice of fillings from chopped octopus to chicken, shrimp, fish, mock crab to mushroom.

Takoyaki is a street dish invented in Osaka in 1935 (quite recent and well documented).

As I was visiting Osaka where takoyaki was born, it was a good time for me to find out more about this well loved snack which came to represent Japanese street food around the world.

Not surprisingly, takoyaki stalls are along and at almost every street corner in Osaka.

Takoyaki is said to be invented in Osaka by a street hawker named Tomekichi Edo. He combined features from three different Japanese snacks to come up with takoyaki.

Choboyaki + rajioyaki + akashiyaki = Takoyaki 🐙

Choboyaki is a flat square flour batter pancake with over a dozen semi-circular dimples filled with pickled ginger, cubed yam, chopped scallion, light crunchy tempura bits, etc.

Rajioyaki is a wheat flour batter ball just like takoyaki but filled on konjac, and spongy chewy beef tendon (instead of octopus).

Akashiyaki is a tamago ball of beaten egg filled with chopped octopus.

So, Tomekichi Edo took the rajioyaki batter filled it with pickled ginger and tempura bits from choboyaki plus octopus from akashiyaki, and viola! we have a flour ball filled with octopus, pickled ginger and tempura bits thus birthing the Japanese street food icon takoyaki or octopus ball.

Takoyaki was an instant success - takoyaki stalls and restaurants quickly became ubiquitous and soon edged out its three precursors with choboyaki and rajioyaki almost nowhere to be seen now.