The fundamental reason is that the chilling makes the octopus loose its toughness. Meaning, with the crystallization of the octopus tentacles the muscle softens (the fiber of this muscle breaks down).
Cooking by this method, the muscle contracts less and remains softer.
Other more traditional methods of tenderizing exist. Some are:
- Pound the octopus on a table,
- Place in a Jakarta machine and tenderize it
- Place in a bag and tenderize with a mallet
