food & specialities, Osaka

There are a lot of tiny udon noodle shops in Osaka where there is only room to stand. The noodles are cheap, and the office workers come in, eat quickly and then get out again.

It's an interesting experience to see how quickly people come in, slurp down their noodles and then get out.

First of all, I'm not a fish lover. I usually don't like anything out of the sea. Therefore I was very surprised that I just love to eat Takoyaki (octopus balls)!

My friend told me that Takoyaki is a special food from the Osaka Area and that even people from Tokyo are enjoying going to Osaka to have some of them.

You can get them from street vendors or in restraurants. Look out for the red lantern with black writings on it. That's the sign for Takoyaki!

Yummy! Very delicious!

Osaka is famous for its Takoyaki so,...

Walking around in Osaka it should be easy to spot a Takoyaki restaurant with a big mock
octopus right outside its front doors.

You can get a seat and order yourself some Takoyaki in a wide range of styles and flavors.

In my case I opted for the pinnaple/ham Takoyaki.

Osaka was once called the 'kitchen of Japan' & has been known as a town for gourmets. Its tradition has not changed & people in the Kansai area are very fastidious about taste.

FOOD CULTURE:Blowfish: A part of the blowfish contains poison only an expert chef is allowed to cook it. Blowfish is said to be the king of winter delicacies.
Tetchiri is a dish in which pieces of blowfish & vegetables are cooked in a pot.
Tessa is a plate of thinly sliced raw blowfish.
Kaiseki: A simple meal served on the occasion of a tea ceremony. It is arranged in a decorative way to accent the taste, a sense of the season & the beauty of the serving dishes.
Okonomiyaki: A spicy pancake about 2 cm in thickness. Its dough is made by mixing flour, broth, ground yam & finely cut cabbage & then cooking it on a griddle with ingredients such as meat or prawns on top. When it's cooked thoroughly, it can be garnished with sauce, dried bonito fish flakes & powdered green seaweed before eating. Sound yummy, isn't it?
Generally, the waiter of the restaurant cooks it in front of you, but when you do it yourself you should turn it over carefully so that it won't break into pieces.
Udon (noodles): Thick noodles made with flour. Usually served in a bowl with hot soup & thin fried bean curd or tempura. Kitsune udon (noodles with fried tofu) is a typical Osakan dish.
Udonsuki (noodles cooked sukiyaki-style in a pot) originated in Osaka. Slurping udon is not considered rude.
Osaka-zushi: Sushi generally means nigiri or hand-shaped sushi & Tokyo is its birthplace. Osaka-style sushi is made by placing pieces of sea bream, sea eel or vinegared mackerel between rice layers & pressing them together in a wooden box. This sushi is then cut into small blocks & served.
Fish for Sushi:awabi abalone
akagai ark shell
anago sea eel
hirame flounder
aji horse mackerel
saba mackerel
tako octopus
tai sea bream
uni sea urchin
ebi shrimp
ika squid
ikura salmon roe
maguro tuna
hamachi yellowtail
Takoyaki: A small dumpling with chopped octopus prepared by baking dough in the round hollows of a special griddle. One of Osaka's most popular snackes, available on many a street corner.
Yakiniku (grilled meat): It is common to cook meat on a griddle, but the most delicious way is to grill it over a charcoal fire. The meat is grilled without seasoning then dipped into a type of soy sauce before eating.

The Japanese use CHOPSTICKS as naturally as the Europeans use forks. They are like an extension of a man's fingers, ya know? Basically, practical adaptations that managed to evolve from the days when man indeed ate with his fingers. Did I just hear you say - barbarian? :-)

Did you also know that there are different styles of chopsticks?

The Chinese variety is blunt on the 'eating end' whilst the Japanese prefer those with pointed tips. (see pic below). There are even short lengths for children for use!

Chopsticks are made of many materials - ivory, plastic, silver and even jade - but the most common ones are of wood or bamboo. For everyday use, wood, bamboo or ivory is best.

All Japanese food is prepared in such a way that it's easy for us to handle it with chopsticks. In fact, many older folks in don't even use a spoon when having their meal.

Well, in short: Practice is the key to success with these centuries-old tools known simply as CHOPSTICKS. Enjoy your meal, my friends.