Which Japanese street food is a ball of grilled octopus?

Which Japanese street food is a ball of grilled octopus? Takoyaki is the Japanese street-food snack made from wheat-flour batter and octopus, cooked into round balls.

Takoyaki is strongly associated with Osaka, where street vendor Tomekichi Endo is credited with popularizing it in 1935. Its name combines tako, meaning octopus, with yaki, meaning grilled or cooked. The batter is poured into a hemispherical molded pan, then turned repeatedly with picks so it forms a sphere while remaining soft inside.

Traditional fillings and toppings include diced octopus, tempura scraps, pickled ginger, and green onion. Finished takoyaki is commonly brushed with takoyaki sauce and mayonnaise, then topped with aonori seaweed and dancing bonito flakes. The bonito flakes move from the heat, which can make the snack look alive.

A common mix-up is confusing takoyaki with okonomiyaki: both are associated with Osaka and use batter, but okonomiyaki is a savory pancake, while takoyaki is portioned into individual balls. Takoyaki also grew from earlier Osaka snacks and the octopus-filled Akashiyaki of nearby Hyogo.