Akashiyaki
What is Akashiyaki?
Akashiyaki (明石焼き・明石焼・あかし焼) is made by adding flour to beaten chicken eggs to make a dough and baking it with an octopus inside.
It is a local dish and speciality of Akashi City, Hyogo Prefecture.
Locals call it simply ‘Tamago-yaki’ or ‘Tamayaki’ (‘Tamago’ means egg and ‘yaki’ means baked or grilled).
A traditional food said to have been eaten since around the end of the Edo period, it is characterised by its fluffy, light and soft texture and melt-in-your-mouth softness inside.
It is shaped like a sphere about 4-5 cm in diameter, and in terms of shape it almost looks like a Takoyaki before sauce is applied, but instead of being eaten with sauce, aonori (green laver) or mayonnaise like Takoyaki, it is eaten dipped in dashi (sometimes sauce is applied and is dipped in dashi).
It is often served on a small wooden board, as shown in the image above, and dipped in dashi broth in a separate dish.
The main ingredient is simply octopus, which is a fusion of the texture of the fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth soft dough, the flavour of the octopus and the taste of the broth.
In addition to octopus, some restaurants add conger eel as an ingredient.
