In Osaka there is a boom in takoyaki, local street food spread all over Japan which consists of meatballs with octopus and mayonnaise and which is now also conquering Italy
In the world there are cities where local street food is deeply rooted in people's daily lives, representing an essential part of the gastronomic and traditional culture. An example of this is Osaka, in Japan, whose local specialty consists of a street food called takoyaki, ubiquitous in every corner of the city. This dish, famous and loved in the rest of the country and increasingly in vogue abroad, consists of delicious meatballs made with batter and octopus, served hot on practical paper boats.
Takoyaki, Osaka street food and one of the most loved in Japan
In the homeland of this cheap and delicious street food there are hundreds of specialized banquets and takeaways, where you can watch the preparation ritual, a regular attraction for the Japanese and a must for tourists. Takoyaki are small and soft balls of batter based on flour, water, yeast and eggs to which they are added inside during cooking boiled octopus pieces (tako), fresh onion slices, red ginger (shoga) pickle, tempura scraps (tenkasu) which give crispness. Meatballs are cooked by street vendors on large plates and turned skillfully and quickly with chopsticks; this procedure allows you to prepare a large number of meatballs in a short time. Take away takoyaki should be crunchy on the outside or soft inside and seasoned with Japanese mayonnaise (made with egg yolks and rice vinegar) and a dense and sweetish brown sauce called takoyaki sauce, similar to Worcestershire, made with soy sauce, fruit and sugar, and finally covered with green algae anori powder and flakes of dried bonito. In Osaka or in other parts of Japan it is possible to find seals of different types, including a typical Japanese sauce with soy and citrus, the goma-give sauce based on vinegar and sesame, sardine and oyster extracts and other ingredients.
The practical paper trays in which they are served usually contain 6 or 10 meatballs, which allows consumers to share them with friends and relatives, but also to buy them from different stalls. This delicious street food, besides being the pride of the city of Osaka, is one of the most loved in all of Japan.
But the takoyaki are not only a popular street food, to be eaten rigorously with chopsticks and to be consumed with beer or other alcoholic drinks, in fact they can be bought pre-cooked and frozen, ready to be heated at home in the microwave or during a picnic with a camping stove, as can be ordered in many restaurants in the country where they are usually served with a side dish of white rice.
The takoyaki to conquer the rest of the world
Given the goodness and simplicity of preparation of these meatballs, as well as their characteristic ingredients and flavors typical of the Rising Sun, it is not surprising that they are widespread in the rest of the world, either as street food or as a specialty of Japanese restaurants. In Italy, takoyaki have only recently appeared, with the opening of two small specialized shops a Milan it's at turin where the meatballs are cooked express on the spot according to the traditional recipe and served with Japanese soft drinks in cans including beer or sake. However, these tasty oriental meatballs are also available in other Japanese sushi bars and restaurants throughout the area.
Photo: takoyaki street food osaka_flickr_ankur p.jpg
Photo: takoyaki osaka polpette polpo_flickr_leng cheng.jpg
