Taiyaki, fish-shaped cake

Do you like sweets?
Today I would like to write about Taiyaki.
Taiyaki is like a fish-shaped pancake filled with sweet red bean paste.
It is the shape of a fish, but no fish-related ingredients are used.

It is delicious to eat immediately after baking, and it is usually eaten while it is warm.
Therefore, it is more often eaten in winter than in summer in my feeling.
I like Taiyaki, so I sometimes eat it even in the summer.

Ogura-an (小倉あん)

The inside is like this.
Mashed sweet bean paste is filled.
Recently, there are variations such as those with custard cream, but the original one is with red bean paste.
If you eat it for the first time, I recommend red bean paste one.
In case that several variations are sold, they often call sweet red bean paste “Ogura-an(小倉あん)” .

Which fish it is shaped

Taiyaki’s “Tai ” means “sea bream” in Japanese.
“Yaki ” means “baked”.
When it comes to high-class fish in Japan, sea bream come to our mind first.
That might be the reason why the person who first made Taiyaki chose the sea bream shape.

Where to buy

Not so many, but there are Taiyaki shop.
Most are specialty shops that sell only Taiyaki.
If you want to eat something a little, Taiyaki is recommended.