The Japanese dish of pan-fried batter filled with octopus is takoyaki.
Takoyaki is a ball-shaped Japanese snack made by cooking wheat-flour batter in a special molded pan. The centers typically contain diced or minced octopus, while other common ingredients include tempura scraps, pickled ginger, and green onion. The cooked balls are usually topped with takoyaki sauce, mayonnaise, green laver, and dried bonito flakes.
The dish is closely associated with Osaka, where street vendor Tomekichi Endo is credited with popularizing it in 1935. Endo combined features of earlier Osaka flour-based snacks with akashiyaki, an egg-rich octopus dish from Akashi in Hyōgo Prefecture. The result became one of Osaka’s best-known street foods.
Takoyaki is often translated as “grilled octopus,” from tako (octopus) and yaki (grilling or cooking by heat). It is not the same as okonomiyaki, another savory batter dish that is cooked as a pancake and customized with toppings. Gyoza are filled dumplings, while yakitori consists of skewered grilled foods, usually chicken. Takoyaki is normally eaten as a snack or between meals.