Taiyaki (たい焼き) - a fish-shaped snack which is traditionally filled with sweet red bean paste. Believed to have originated in Tokyo during the Meiji era.
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what is taiyaki?
In Japanese, tai means red sea bream and yaki means grilled, roasted, fried or baked - think yakisoba (stir-fried soba noodles), okonomiyaki (savoury pancake) and yakiniku (grilled meat). Taiyaki is a fish-shaped sweet snack made from batter similar to pancake or waffle batter. Like a lot of Japanese sweets, taiyaki are traditionally filled with a red bean paste known as anko, although you can find all sorts of fillings nowadays. I'm not usually one to go against tradition, but I have to admit that custard is my favourite taiyaki filling. Maybe it's because I first tried taiyaki on a winter's day when I was particularly craving a good old British pudding and custard!
Takeaway taiyaki
why is taiyaki fish-shaped?
As it turns out, you may be bringing yourself some good fortune by indulging in taiyaki, as red sea bream (tai) is considered very lucky in Japan. Red symbolises good luck and tai is part of the word medetai, meaning auspicious. It is therefore not surprising that tai is so prevalent in Japanese culture: it is often served at special occasions, sumo wrestlers pose for photos holding large tai when they win tournaments and you will see lots of tai-shaped decorations at new year.
where to find taiyaki in tokyo
Taiyaki are usually sold as street food in stalls or small shops and are therefore very cheap. Wherever we lived in Tokyo, we were always lucky enough to be close to a taiyaki shop. When we lived in Ōmori, there was a Gindaco (a well-known chain selling takoyaki and taiyaki) in the station, making it hard to resist buying a treat on the way home. I've yet to try it but Gindaco also sell croissant taiyaki, which have a crispier sugar-coated batter. When we stayed in Arakawa-ku earlier this year, there was a family run taiyaki shop down the road and Richard would sometimes surprise me by coming home with a bag of warm custard taiyaki after a gym session. Probably not the best post workout snack!
These lucky fish-shaped treats are never far away and I highly recommend adding them to your list of food to try in Tokyo.
Takoyaki and taiyaki in our old neighbourhood
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This dessert is so freaking aesthetic. I prefer chewy things like mochi when in Japan, but I loveee the way taiyaki look!
They’re so cute, aren’t they?! It took me a while to get used to mochi, but I like it now!