Takoyaki 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, tempura scraps, pickled ginger, and green onion . The balls are brushed with takoyaki sauce and mayonnaise, and then sprinkled with green laver and shavings of dried bonito .
Yaki comes from yaku, which is one of the cooking methods in Japanese cuisine, meaning 'to grill', and can be found in the names of other dishes in Japanese cuisine such as okonomiyaki and ikayaki (other famous Osakan dishes). Basically, it is eaten as a snack or between meals, but in some areas it is served as a side dish with rice.