Happy Fish
Taiyaki soft serve, 3 styles: Mine was a mix of matcha/hōjicha. Also, apparently Taiyaki NYC is doing a promotion with Rilakkuma (seen below thumb), so you know they’re the real deal in the hip young Asian market.
To wrap up my first Japan Fes, I figured that I’d end the week on the last thing that I had before my friends and I made our trip back to Brooklyn. To be honest, I am cheating a bit, as what we’re looking at here was not actually one of the vendors, but—I’d like to think that it’s still in the spirit of the event.
Now the adorable little treat that we are looking at today is called taiyaki (鯛焼き). The “tai” 鯛 part of the name refers to the Japanese word for a (red) sea bream, and the yaki…well at this point if you know you know. Despite the name and the look I can assure you that no fish were harmed in the making of this snack, which is unfortunately not something that I can say with confidence regarding the kinds of Japanese food that I’m usually eating.
Don’t worry folks, the open-mouthed little guy that you see here only looks like a grilled fish. In fact, it’s actually just made of a pancake/waffle batter that’s pressed into a specialized mold. No fish taste. I promise.
Taiyaki owes its flavors and initial concept to an Edo period dessert called imagawayaki (今川焼き), which is similarly made in its own specialized pan and commonly filled with azuki paste or custard. There was and in fact is an imagawayaki vendor at this year’s Japan Fes event(s), which I would have absolutely tried out during this outing if not for the dreaded line debacle. I’m looking to catch them next time, but anyway…
When and why exactly the fish shape came into being is unknown, the general consensus being that imagawayaki vendors vouched for the tai design as the sea bream is a symbol of good luck in Japan. Said symbolic significance can be seen coming from Japan’s history as a fishing nation, as well as the phonetic similarity between the word tai and the word medetai (愛でたい), which refers to auspicious/happy/prosperous. If you’ve ever been inside a Japanese home or shrine you just might have caught a glimpse of a hanging tai picture. I’d say keep a look out.
Whether or not this is the reasoning behind the origin of taiyaki, the snack has definitely stuck in the hearts and stomachs of the Japanese people since its first appearance some time in the early 1900s. Imagawayaki is still around in mainland Japan, but on both the domestic and international stage, the prosperous fish has certainly won out. Symbolism, marketability, and above all a distinct cuteness have always reigned supreme when it comes to Japanese products. You can look forward to finding taiyaki wherever it’s sold with more traditional fillings of red bean paste and custard to more modern flavors such as chocolate, cheese, fruit custards, or even full savory fillings like gyoza and okonomiyaki at the right places.
A newer innovation on the famous filled fish has been to use the taiyaki shell as a cone for soft serve. An inspired chioce if I’ve ever heard one. The combination of the warm, pillowy sponge of the taiyaki makes for an excellent vessel, creating a temperature contrast that leaves you with a satisfying finish to your fusion dessert. It’s commonplace to still have a surprise bit of red bean paste hiding in the fish tail, which is always a delight! Does it kind of look like the fish is choking on a pillar of spiralized dairy now? Maybe (No fish were harmed I promise).
Taiyaki NYC in Chinatown (as well as its other locations) is bringing this fantastic treat to the people, offering a variety of Asian-inspired flavors and fixings. They know how to make their stuff photo friendly for sure. Back when I did my study abroad stint in London I would always make the time to check out the London Soho/Chinatown district, there being (among an endless list of other things) a Chinese bakery there that happened to catch on to the taiyaki soft serve trend. It makes me a very happy fish to know that I can get my matcha spiral whenever the craving arrives.
