Taiyaki
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Taiyaki (鯛焼き? , lit. "baked sea bream") is a Japanese fish-shaped cake. The most common filling is red bean paste that is made from sweetened azuki beans. Other common fillings are custard, chocolate, and cheese. Some shops even sell taiyaki with okonomiyaki or a sausage inside.
Taiyaki is made using taiyaki or regular pancake or waffle batter. The batter is poured into a fish-shaped mold for each side. The filling is then put on one side and the mold is closed. It is then cooked on both sides until golden brown.
Taiyaki was first baked by a sweet shop Naniwaya in Azabu, Tokyo in 1909, and now can be found all over Japan, especially at food courts of supermarkets and Japanese festivals (祭 matsuri?).
This is similar to imagawayaki (今川焼き?), which is a thick round cake also filled with sweet azuki bean paste or custard.
[edit] In pop culture
Taiyaki was the theme of a 1975–76 Japanese hit single, "Oyoge! Taiyaki-kun" ("Swim! Taiyaki") sung by Masato Shimon. The single sold more than 4.5 million copies, and remains the largest-selling Japanese single to this day (as of February 2007). Originally written for a children's TV program, the song was about a taiyaki escaping from the vendor stand into the sea, enjoying his brief freedom there until he is finally caught by a fisherman and consumed. It was a thinly veiled satire of the overworked Japanese businessman, with whom the record struck a chord, resulting in the unexpected mega-hit.
[edit] See also
- Bungeoppang (Taiyaki in Korea)
- Cuisine of Japan
- Wagashi
[edit] References
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