The story
Taiyaki was born in 1909 at Naniwaya Sōhonten, a sweet shop in Tokyo's Azabu-Jūban district. Its founder, Seijirō Kobe, was struggling to sell imagawayaki, round griddle cakes filled with red bean paste, so he began baking them in moulds shaped like tai, the red sea bream. The fish stood for luck and celebration but was too expensive for most people, and a later owner of the shop says Kobe wanted ordinary customers to enjoy a taste of it cheaply. The idea caught on across Japan, reached Korea as bungeo-ppang, and after the war spread through Asia and beyond. Naniwaya is still run by the Kobe family.
Also known as たい焼き, 鯛焼き, bungeo-ppang.
On the Meridish menu
Taiyaki was the dessert course on menu No. 28 on October 28, 2026. Its clue in the game, which hints at the place without naming it:
A fish-shaped waffle filled with sweet red bean paste. A shop owner here first moulded it in 1909 to look like sea bream, a lucky fish ordinary people rarely got to eat.
In Meridish, every dish is pinned to the town or city most widely credited with creating it. A guess within 25 km scores all 100 points. How scoring works.
Sources
Food history is often disputed. Think we've pinned it in the wrong place? Tell us at hello@meridish.com, ideally with a source.
