Takoyaki (たこ焼き or 蛸焼) is a ball-shaped Japanese snack made of a wheat flour-based batter and cooked in a special molded pan.

It is typically filled with minced or diced octopus (tako), tempura scraps (tenkasu), pickled ginger (beni shoga), and green onion (negi).

In the early 20th century, in Osaka, there were snacks called choboyaki (ちょぼ焼き) and radioyaki (ラジオ焼き or ラヂオ焼き, rajioyaki) that contained pieces of beef, konjac or other ingredients.

[8] In recent years, takoyaki can be eaten with various toppings and fillings (such as cheese or bacon[9]) as its cultural span has evolved in western parts of the world.

[10][11] A takoyaki pan (たこ焼き器, takoyaki-ki) or—much more rarely—takoyaki nabe is typically a griddle made of cast iron with hemispherical molds, similar to a traditional Yorkshire pudding tray.