Quick Bites: 3 Tasty Foods to Eat in Osaka

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Top Photo: takedahrs on Pixabay

Osaka is commonly referred to as “the kitchen of Japan” due to its diverse selection of tasty and unique food. The city’s streets are often jam-packed with both large-chain restaurants and smaller individual businesses that deliver flavors sure to satisfy the widest spectrum of palates. Whether it be ramen and udon shops, curry houses, Izakaya (similar to a pub), foreign restaurants, chic cafes, sweet shops, yakiniku cookeries or even the universally-beloved conbini, Osaka has so much to offer.

If you are struggling to decide on what to try next, I’d like to suggest some popular but outstanding foods that are uniquely Japanese and in some ways, uniquely Osakan. They’re all well worth trying, and especially worth trying in Osaka’s neon-laden Dotonbori district near Namba Station. That place is a story in itself for another time, but for right now, here’s my Top 3 delicious dishes to snack on in Japan’s big city in the west.

Okonomiyaki

Photo Credit: Daniel Hooper on Unsplash

Okonomiyaki, sometimes called “Japanese pizza,” is one of the most famous dishes from Osaka. This Osakan soul food is essentially a savory pancake that is cooked from a batter of flour, egg, shredded cabbage and various meats and seafood of your choice. The major component of this dish that stands out is the toppings.

The mixture of Japanese mayonnaise and okonomiyaki sauce (similar in taste to Worcestershire sauce), seaweed and bonito flakes delivers a satisfying punch to the savory pancake. Some variations of okonomiyaki include: monjayaki, modan-yaki, negiyaki and of course, Hiroshima-yaki (the Hiroshima style of okonomiyaki). Feel free to try these variants too!

Takoyaki

Takoyaki is a classic snack food from Osaka made from wheat-based batter with a small piece of octopus serving as the filling inside. This “octopus ball” snack contains toppings similar to the okonomiyaki, and therefore tastes quite similar. The difference is that the inside of the takoyaki; in contract to the crispy exterior, the center delivers the chewy texture of grilled octopus mixed with the gooey, softer batter taste.

While you can buy it at conbini or make your own at home, nothing beats fresh-made takoyaki from a street vendor stall prepared right in front of you. You should be able to find takoyaki vendors down most streets of Osaka, and the delightful smell of cooking dough will surely help you!

Taiyaki

Technically speaking, Taiyaki is said to have originated in Tokyo, but like a lot of things in the culinary world, Osaka perfected it! Taiyaki is a fish-shaped cake with different types of filling inside—usually azuki (red bean past), sweet potato paste, custard or chocolate. It really resembles an ice cream sandwich, except for the fact that both the filling and the cake is typically hot.

These “cakes” are excellent when eaten alongside a cup (or PET bottle) of hot tea. There’s just something satisfying about the crunchy texture of the cake that is somewhat reminiscent of biting into a well-done hot waffle. A staple of festival foods year-round (much like takoyaki), the classic sweetened azuki bean taiyaki is highly recommended.

These three foods only begin to scratch the surface of what Osaka has to offer. The beauty of eating in Osaka is being able to experience different interpretations of many foods from various restaurants and stores. This is especially true for smaller businesses; many of them like to add their own flair and ingredients to enhance and add personality to these classic foods. I hope you get the chance to enjoy the tastes of Osaka real soon!

Photo Credits:

Top Photo: takedahrs on Pixabay

1 –  Daniel Hooper on Unsplash

All other content (text) created by the original author and © 2020 MUSUBI by Borderlink

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Kai Wong

From Malaysia
Started his Japan experience from last year!