Dec 4, 20198 min read

Osaka Food Checklist

The Japanese cuisine that started about 2000yrs ago, is definitely one of the cuisines with a wide range of variety, and endless types of options to choose from! The traditional Japanese cuisine is based on steamed rice with miso soup and other dishes that plays an emphasis on seasonal ingredients. With the influence from Chinese and Western cuisines, dishes inspired by foreign food like ramen, curry, gyoza and hamburger were created and modified to suit the Japanese tastes and ingredients. In the traditional Japanese cuisine, meat is avoided due to Buddhism. However with the modernisation of Japan, meat-based items like tonkatsu and yakiniku became common by the 1880s, and is now popular items throughout the world.

Osaka is known to be the Kitchen of Japan, serving one of the best Japanese food one can find. The Osaka people are known to spend more money on food than other Japanese. If you love your food, you should start exploring Japan from Osaka!

Don't forget to say "itadakimasu" before you start your meal!

Takoyaki たこ焼き / 蛸焼

A ball-shaped street food made using wheat flour-based batter, and is usually filled with chopped red pickled ginger, chopped scallions, and a piece of octopus. It is then drizzled with a brown takoyaki sauce, Japanese mayonnaise and topped with bonito flakes. Takoyaki origin from Osaka, and a nicely done takoyaki is crispy on the outside, but remains soft on the inside.

Okonomiyaki お好み焼き

There are many variations of okonomiyaki and Osaka is one of the birthplace for it. Okonomiyaki is a round pancake made with batter, cabbage and other ingredients like meat or seafood. “Okonomi” means “how / what you like” and “yaki” means “cooked”. The Osaka version consists of batter mixed with lots of cabbage and topped with thin slices of pork, grilled into a round-shaped. It is then drizzled with brown okonomiyaki sauce, Japanese mayonnaise, and topped with bonito flakes and seaweed flakes.

Negiyaki ねぎ焼き

A variation of okonomiyaki which is also popular in Osaka. “Negi” means “scallions”. Instead of the usual sliced cabbage and meat, it is filled with lots and lots of chopped scallions; and instead of the usual sauce and toppings, it is topped with soy sauce.

Akashiyaki 明石焼き

Akashiyaki is a ball-shaped snack made from egg batter with a piece of octopus, cooked in a takoyaki mold pan. It is eaten by dipping it in dashi, a broth made from boiling water with kombu and bonito flakes.

Kushikatsu 串カツ

Kushikatsu are food skewered, dipped in batter, breadcrumb-coated and fried - another iconic food of Osaka. It is normally meat, seafood or vegetables; but these days, almost any food can be prepared as kushikatsu, such as eggs, cheese, beancurd and ricecakes. These skewers are dipped in a thin brown sauce before consuming. The golden rule to eating kushikatsu is never double dip it, as these pots of sauces are shared amongst customers. Slices of raw cabbage are also served which you can use to scoop more sauce to your skewer if you hadn’t got enough sauce on it.

Tonkatsu 豚カツ / とんかつ / トンカツ

A piece of pork cutlet that is crumb-coated and fried. It is usually served with thinly sliced cabbage and steamed rice. Not to be confused with “tonkotsu”, which is a broth made from pork bones.

Tamagoyaki 玉子焼き

Japanese-style rolled omelette that is cooked in a rectangle pan in layers. Unlike Western omelette, tamagoyaki tends to taste sweet.

Tako Tamago 蛸玉子

“Tako” means “octopus”, and “tamago” means “egg”. If you love Japanese food, you should be familiar with their red baby octopus appetizer called Chuka Idako. Instead of being in that red marinade with sesame seeds, these octopuses consist of a boiled quail egg stuffed in the head.

Taiyaki 鯛焼き

A classic street food in Japan. A fish-shaped pancake, commonly filled with red bean paste. Other fillings include sweet potato, custard, chocolate and cheese.

Obanyaki 大判焼き / Imagawayaki 今川焼き

Imagawayaki has many name variations, and in Kansai region, it is called obanyaki. Similar to taiyaki but round-shaped instead.

Dorayaki どら焼き / 銅鑼焼き

Consists of two pancakes made from castella batter, sandwiching red bean paste. “Dora” means “gong”, and it’s said that the name was derived from a samurai who forgot his gong in a farmer’s house where he hid. The farmer subsequently used the gong to fry pancakes, and thus the name “dorayaki”.

Yakitori 焼き鳥

Skewered meat cooked over charcoal fire and brushed with yakitori sauce, a sweet soy sauce mixture. It’s traditionally chicken skewered with leeks, but there are many variations these days.

Gyoza 餃子

Gyoza is similar to Chinese potstickers. It is usually filled with minced meat, cabbage, chives and scallions. Similar cooking method, it is pan-fried till crispy at the bottom, then water is added and cooked covered to steam the dumplings.

Fugu 河豚 / 鰒 / フグ

Pufferfish is a poisonous fish, but edible if killed and done properly. The poison from a single fish is enough to kill 30 people. Osaka consumes the highest percentage of pufferfish, and is one of Osaka’s winter specialty.

Oden おでん

A type of hotpot street food that consists of a few ingredients cooked in a light soy-flavoured dashi broth. Common ingredients used are boiled eggs, daikon, konjac and processed fishcake. They are slowly simmered in the broth to absorb all the flavours, and thus, daikon is a popular choice. It makes it a yummy piece of radish paired with its own natural sweetness.

Kare カレー

Japanese curry is one of the most popular dishes in Japan. Unlike the coconut milk-watery version, the Japanese version has a much thicker consistency, almost like a sauce, and brown instead of red or orange. It is usually cooked with diced meat, potatoes, carrots and onions.

Omurice オムライス

Consists of an omelette filled with fried rice and drizzled with tomato ketchup. It is commonly cooked at home and often found in Western dining places. Omurice is a favourite amongst children.

Kitsune Udon きつねうどん

Udon is a type of thick wheat noodles, often served in a broth made from dashi, soy sauce and mirin. A simple dish topped with some chopped scallions and narutomaki fishcake. “Kitsune” means “fox”, and its favourite food is said to be fried beancurd, and thus Kitsune Udon is topped with fried beancurd on top of what it is. Osaka is the birthplace for Kitsune Udon and is one of the dishes that represents true Osaka soul food.

Ramen ラーメン

“Ramen” means “pulled noodles”. It is usually served in a meat (usually tonkotsu > pork bones) or fish-based (usually dashi > bonito flakes) broth, flavoured with soy sauce, miso or salt, and topped with items like pork slices, chopped scallions, bamboo shoots and seaweed. These days, there are many, many variations of ramen, from the type of broth to the type of noodles used, to the choice of toppings.

Sushi すし / 寿司 / 鮨

Sushi originated from the dish, narezushi - fermented fish sushi. The fermentation of rice helps prevent the fish from spoiling. This early type of sushi became an important source of protein for the Japanese as they do not consume meat in the early days due to Buddhism. “Sushi” means “sour tasting”. In the 1330s, the Japanese started adding vinegar to the rice to help enhance its sourness. The vinegar significantly increases the dish’s shelf life, which help to shorten the fermentation process, and eventually abandoned. Sushi slowly evolved to the many variations we see today from the 1600s.

Narezushi

The many types of sushi we see today

Sashimi 刺身

Many would know sashimi is a raw seafood / meat dish, most of the time being fish. The word “sashimi” actually means “pierced body”, which refers to the fishes being pierced during harvest in the early days. When you are in Osaka, you have to try pufferfish sashimi, the most poisonous fish.

Yakiniku 焼き肉

“Yakiniku” means “grilled meat”. Today, yakiniku is commonly referred as a Japanese cooking style of cooking small pieces of meat and vegetables on a grill, either over charcoal fire, gas or an electric grill. In other parts of the world, yakiniku is referred as “Japanese barbecue”.

Doteyaki どて焼き

Another famous delicacy of Osaka. Doteyaki is beef sinew stewed in miso, sake / mirin and sugar. Daikon and konjac are often added as well. It can be easily found in yakiniku or izakaya dining places.

Mochi もち / Daifuku 大福

Mochi is Japanese rice cake made from mochigome, a type of short-grain glutinous rice. Mochi is similar to dango, but is made by pounding rice grains into a sticky paste. Dango is made using rice flour. Daifuku is mochi with a sweet filling, usually red bean paste.

Warabimochi わらび餅

Warabimochi is made using bracken starch and has a jelly-like texture. It is then coated with kinako, sweet toasted soybean flour. It is a popular snack during summer, especially in Kansai region and Okinawa. Mochi on the other hand, is usually coated with corn starch.

All Things Matcha 抹茶

How can you miss out matcha when you are in Japan? Japan is a heaven for matcha lovers! Over here, other than the usual matcha drinks and desserts, you can also find savoury matcha items like gyozas and croquettes. You can also find lots of matcha creations in the neighbouring city, Kyoto, just an hour’s train ride from Osaka.

Uncle Rikuro Cheesecake

You may have seen videos of this popular jiggly soft cheesecake with a stamp of an older man. Made with rich cream cheese and some raisins lined at the bottom, this fluffy creation quickly became a crowd favourite!

Osaka Petit Banana

You have Tokyo Banana in Tokyo, and you have Osaka Petite Banana in Osaka. The reason why bananas are so popular amongst the Japanese because bananas are so expensive in Japan that it's being considered as a premium fruit. Some of the most expensive fruits in Japan includes banana, mango, watermelon, apple, melon and grapes. The Osaka version consists of a fluffy cake layered with custard and banana.

Osaka Castelo

Castella is said to originate from the Kingdom of Castile, Spain. It was brought to Japan in the 16th century. The Osaka Castelo version is a bite-size castella with a soft and moist cake, and thick and sticky at the top, sprinkled with granulated sugar all over to give a crunchy bite.

Kuidaore Taro Pudding

Kuidaore Taro is Osaka's famous clown mascot. One of Osaka's famous landmark is this puppet dressed in red and white striped clown suit, that can be found at Dotonbori. Kuidaore Taro was once the mascot for a famous restaurant in Dotonbori called "Cui-Daero", opened in 1949. The name was derived from the word "kuidaero", which means "eat till you go bankrupt" - as you know, the Osaka people love their food and spend a lot of money on food! The founder place this clown puppet at the front of the restaurant to attract families, since kids love clowns and puppets. The face of the mascot was designed after the founder's face, so customers could think of him welcoming them into his restaurant. Cui-Daero has undergone many changes over the years, but not for Kuidaero Taro.

The business ended after 59yrs in 2008. A year later, the mascot returned to Dotonbori again, standing at the lobby of Nakaza Cuidaore Building, till today. Kuidaore Taro helped regained the popularity of Dotonbori. Today, you can see the face of Kuidaore Taro everywhere at Dotonbori, especially in souvenir shops - keychains, plushies, figurines, clothing and snacks. One of the most popular item is definitely the caramel custard pudding, in Japanese "purin", since it's one of Japanese's favourite dessert.

Baton d’or

A premium version to Glico’s pocky. They are only sold in selected department stores like Osaka’s Takashimaya. They can also be found at Kansai Airport.

Takoyaki-flavoured Snacks

As mentioned earlier, takoyaki originates from Osaka, and it is definitely the #1 street food in Osaka. It is also one of the most loved street food across Japan. How can you not have some takoyaki-flavoured snacks?