Takoyaki ( たこ焼き or 蛸焼?) (literally fried or baked octopus) is a popular Japanese dumpling made of batter, diced or whole baby octopus, tempura scraps (tenkasu), pickled ginger, and green onion, topped with okonomiyaki sauce, green laver (aonori), mayonnaise, and katsuobushi (fish shavings), first popularized in Taisho-era Osaka. There is a similarly named dish called ikayaki but it is a broiled whole squid and bears no resemblance. Yaki is derived from

"yaku" ( 焼く?) which simply means "to bake or grill" in Japanese, and can be found in the names of other Japanese cuisine items such as teriyaki or sukiyaki.

Takoyaki pan

A takoyaki pan ( たこ焼き器, takoyakiki?) or—much more rarely—takoyaki-nabe ( たこ焼き鍋?) is typically made of cast iron with half-spherical molds. The heavy iron evenly heats the takoyaki. Commercial gas-fueled takoyaki cookers are used at Japanese festivals or by street vendors. For home

use, electric versions resembling a hotplate; stovetop versions are also available.
Takoyaki pans are similar in shape, materials, and usage to æbleskive pans, though those are typically used with other fillings instead of octopus. In the United States, æbleskive pans have recently surfaced in late-night television 'call-to-order' ads as "pancake puff" pans.