🍱 Takoyaki (Octopus Balls)
When it comes to the taste of Osaka, the first thing that comes to mind is likely takoyaki. It is made by pouring a mixture of dashi(=Japanese soup stock), eggs, and wheat flour into round indentations on a griddle, adding chopped octopus as the filling, and cooking it into a round shape. It is then enjoyed with sauce and mayonnaise. It is a soul food for the people of Osaka. Originally offered at dagashiya (cheap snack shops) and yatai (food stalls) during the late Meiji era to the Taisho era, it is said to be a derivative of the popular snack for children known as "choboyaki." The classic fillings included konjac(=yam cake), dried shrimp, pickled radish, and the seasoning involved adding soy sauce to the batter before cooking it into a round shape. In the late Taisho era, with the advent of radio broadcasting in Japan, a yatai food called "radio-yaki" was named after the cutting-edge technology of radio. In the early Showa era, takoyaki using octopus as a filling began to be sold at yatai in Osaka. Initially, it was eaten plain, but after the war, the introduction of rich sauce led to the establishment of the current style, where takoyaki is topped with sauce, aonori(=seaweed flakes), and bonito flakes, and served on a boat-shaped tray with toothpicks. It eventually became a well-known specialty of Osaka, widely loved across the country, and has now become a staple in the world of street food enjoyed by people nationwide.