Takoyaki

Takoyaki browning in their rows of half-round molds at a stall in Osaka, the city that made them. A street vendor named Tomekichi Endo is credited with first putting octopus into his batter balls there in 1935. The fun is watching the cook spin each ball with a pick as it sets, so it turns into a sphere with a crisp skin and a soft, almost runny middle around a chunk of octopus. They come in a paper boat under sauce and mayonnaise. Wait a minute before biting: the inside stays scalding long after the outside feels safe.