is a popular

fast food Fast food is a type of Mass production, mass-produced food designed for commercial resale, with a strong priority placed on speed of service. ''Fast food'' is a commercial term, limited to food sold in a restaurant or store with frozen, preheat ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. In much of Japan, the term refers to simple grilled squid topped with

soy sauce Soy sauce (sometimes called soya sauce in British English) is a liquid condiment of China, Chinese origin, traditionally made from a fermentation (food), fermented paste of soybeans, roasted cereal, grain, brine, and ''Aspergillus oryzae'' or ''A ...

; the portion of squid served may be the whole body (minus

entrails The gastrointestinal tract (GI tract, digestive tract, alimentary canal) is the tract or passageway of the digestive system that leads from the mouth to the anus. The tract is the largest of the body's systems, after the cardiovascular system. T ...

), rings cut from the body, or one or more tentacles, depending on the size.Squid tentacles draw the crowds
/ref> Ikayaki is served in many '' izakayas'' and a grilled tentacle on a stick is popular at

Japanese festivals Japanese festivals, or , are traditional festive occasions often celebrated with dance and music in Japan. The origin of the word ''matsuri'' is related to the ; there are theories that the word ''matsuri'' is derived from meaning "to wait (for ...

Osaka variety

The term "ikayaki" may refer to a style of "squid pancake" that is a regional specialty in

Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...

. This pancake style is prepared like folded crêpes and made of chopped squid, hard dough,

Worcestershire sauce Worcestershire sauce or Worcester sauce (UK: ) is a fermented liquid condiment invented by pharmacists John Wheeley Lea and William Henry Perrins in the city of Worcester in Worcestershire, England, during the first half of the 19th century ...

, and sometimes egg, and is cooked and pressed between two iron plates. The popularity of this style of "ikayaki" is partly due to its speed, as it only takes a minute to cook it this way. The Snack Park of

Hanshin Department Store is a Japanese department store chain owned by , a subsidiary of H2O Retailing, H2O Retailing Corporation. Stores ;Hanshin Umeda :*13-13, Umeda Itchome, Kita-ku, Osaka, Kita-ku, Osaka, Japan :*Access ::*Hanshin Electric Railway Hanshin Main L ...

(

Umeda is a major commercial, business, shopping and entertainment district in Kita-ku, Osaka, Japan, where the city's main northern railway termini ( Ōsaka Station, Umeda Station) are located. The district's name means "plum field". History Umeda ...

, Osaka) is famous for its ikayaki. Ikayaki is also commonly served on the

street A street is a public thoroughfare in a city, town or village, typically lined with Building, buildings on one or both sides. Streets often include pavements (sidewalks), pedestrian crossings, and sometimes amenities like Street light, streetligh ...

or at the beach. It should not be confused with

takoyaki Takoyaki ( or ) is a ball-shaped Japanese snack made of a wheat flour-based batter (cooking), batter and cooked in a special molded pan. It is typically filled with minced or diced octopus as food, octopus (''tako''), tempura scraps (''tenkasu' ...

, which are spherical

octopus An octopus (: octopuses or octopodes) is a soft-bodied, eight-limbed mollusc of the order Octopoda (, ). The order consists of some 300 species and is grouped within the class Cephalopoda with squids, cuttlefish, and nautiloids. Like oth ...

dumplings also from Osaka.

Gallery

Ika-yaki 001.jpg, ''Ikayaki'' served in an '' izakaya'' Grilled squid 001.jpg Laika ac Mitami Matsuri (7574212772).jpg Grilled squid (3891967738).jpg 71-1025a Nikko, Japan 1971 (51331837776).jpg, ''Ikayaki'' stall in

Nikkō is a Cities of Japan, city in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. , the city's population was 80,239, in 36,531 households. The population density was 55 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Nikkō is a popular destination for Japanese and ...

city, 1971

References

External links

Ikayaki Hompo
*{{in lang, ja}
Hanshin Department Store
Japanese cuisine Fast food Squid dishes