I live in Osaka Prefecture, and today I'm pleased to introduce our local food, called takoyaki. ”Tako” means octopus in Japanese, so you can probably guess one of the main ingredients. Although it might sound unusual for some, eating octopus is quite common here. Takoyaki originated in Osaka, but now you can find it all over Japan.
When my friends from overseas visited me, I introduced them to takoyaki. I have to say both my American friend and British friend loved it, but my Bolivian friend and her husband didn't enjoy it as much. I guess if you've never had octopus before, it might be tricky for you how to chew and swallow it. Octopus is very chewy! However, once you learn the timing to swallow, I'm sure you'll love it! Takoyaki is one of my favorite snacks.
Osaka will host the World Expo in April, and many people from around the world will visit the city. I'm also looking forward to going there with my husband. If you visit, you’ll likely come across takoyaki. When you see it, make sure to give it a try!
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I love takoyaki! My biggest problem is eating it before it properly cools off :)
Where did you eat it? Haha, yeah, it's hard to eat when it's hot. I saw a takoyaki shop in Flint, Michigan while visiting one of my American friends. I talked with the owner a little bit because it was very rare to see it in the States. He told me that he studied abroad in Japan and learned how to make it there. It was very interesting! I truly hope he's still been running the shop there, and people love it.
There are a couple of ramen shops here in Utah that also sell takoyaki. To be honest, it's only okay, but it's the best that we can get here :)
It's fascinating to know ramen shops sell takoyaki! I even didn't know that Utah has ramen shops. Yeah, my Texan friend also told me that there are lots of ramen shops in Austin. I haven't visited the States over for eight years. It must be changed a lot! If you want to get the better one, you definitely should visit Osaka!
In Spain, typical squid dishes are ‘calamares en su tinta’ and ‘rabas de calamar’. Spain is a Mediterranean country and its people, as in Italy, enjoy aperitifs on the terraces of bars and squares. The ‘rabas de calamar’ is a classic that combines perfectly with a red wine from Rioja or Duero. It is, as always, a good excuse to talk and solve the world's problems, Yumi @yumiyumayume .
Good morning @druida from a sun rising country! I know Italy, Spain Portugal eat seafood because my Italian friends enjoy eating it. It's interesting that the word "calamares" sounds very similar as English " calamari"( maybe it's Italian because it sounds it). I learned the term "fried calamari" from my American friends. It's easy for you to guess the meaning. I looked up the food and it seems like you eat squid ink. I love the pasta, but I didn't know that Spanish people eat the ink too. The second dish you mentioned is like fried calamari. Thank you so much for sharing! I love learning different culture.
@yumiyumayume: "calamari" is an Italian word that does literally mean "squid" (in the plural). In English, "calamari" is to "squid" what "beef" is to "cow" or "pork" is to "pig": a squid is a sea animal, with all these tentacles and stuff, that looks like your worst nightmare; calamari is those crunchy nice looking rings on a restaurant plate next to a glass of wine. Somehow, when you call your food a foreign word, it's more palatable.
@quassnoi Thank you so much for letting me know. I was guessing it might be Italian too! We eat squid here as well, and I love it. Haha, that makes sense when we call some food foreign words, they make the taste better. It's very interesting!