Have you ever eaten takoyaki? Octopus tentacles are placed in the middle of a ball of dough made from baked flour and eaten with sauce. It is known as the soul food of Osaka.
On the topic of Takoyaki, it is standard to eat it with lots of sauce, but the takoyaki of the original Takoyaki shop Aizuya is flavored with dashi and soy sauce, so it is eaten without any additional sauce flavoring. The gentle aroma of the soup stock and soy sauce flavor is delicious beyond words.
Walking around Osaka, you can come across various innovative takoyaki. Takoyaki with an entire small octopus inside, takoyaki sandwiched between shrimp rice crackers known as “takosen”, and any number of toppings and sauces.
Takoyaki has its origins in Osaka, but it can now be enjoyed all over Japan. However, if you compare Osaka and Tokyo takoyaki, there are a number of interesting differences. Osakan takoyaki is generally soft, often with runny dough inside. By contrast, Tokyo takoyaki is fried and crispier, and is more thoroughly cooked through.
Some people in Osaka disparage Tokyo takoyaki, but as an Osakan myself, I also love fried takoyaki.
As you can see, takoyaki varies from region to region, and even from store to store. Why not go on a journey to find the takoyaki that suits you best? However, a word of caution: takoyaki can be much hotter than you think, so take care not to be burned by it.