''Yakiniku'' (焼き肉 or 焼肉), meaning "

grilled Grilling is a form of cooking that involves dry heat applied to the surface of food, commonly from above, below or from the side. Grilling usually involves a significant amount of direct, radiant heat, and tends to be used for cooking meat a ...

meat", is a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

term that, in its broadest sense, refers to grilled meat cuisine. "Yakiniku" originally referred to western " barbecue" food, the term being popularized by Japanese writer Kanagaki Robun (仮名垣魯文) in his ''Seiyo Ryoritsu'' (i.e. "western food handbook") in 1872 (

Meiji period The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization ...

). The term later became associated with

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

n-derived cuisine (

Korean Barbecue Korean barbecue ( ko, 고기구이, ''gogi-gui,'' 'meat roast') is a popular method in Korean cuisine of grilling meat, typically beef, pork or chicken. Such dishes are often prepared on gas or charcoal grills built into the dining table itself. So ...

) during the early

Shōwa period Shōwa may refer to: * Hirohito (1901–1989), the 124th Emperor of Japan, known posthumously as Emperor Shōwa * Showa Corporation, a Japanese suspension and shock manufacturer, affiliated with the Honda keiretsu Japanese eras * Jōwa (Heian ...

. Due to the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

, the terms associated with Korea in Japan were divided into North Korea (Kita Chōsen) and South Korea (Kankoku); the reference to a "yakiniku restaurant" arose as a

politically correct ''Political correctness'' (adjectivally: ''politically correct''; commonly abbreviated ''PC'') is a term used to describe language, policies, or measures that are intended to avoid offense or disadvantage to members of particular groups in socie ...

term for restaurants of either origin. Today, "yakiniku" commonly refers to a style of cooking bite-size meat (usually

beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). In prehistoric times, humankind hunted aurochs and later domesticated them. Since that time, numerous breeds of cattle have been bred specifically for the quality or quantit ...

and

offal Offal (), also called variety meats, pluck or organ meats, is the organs of a butchered animal. The word does not refer to a particular list of edible organs, which varies by culture and region, but usually excludes muscle. Offal may also refe ...

) and vegetables on gridirons or

griddle A griddle, in the UK also called a girdle, is a cooking device consisting mainly of a broad, usually flat cooking surface. Nowadays it can be either a movable metal pan- or plate-like utensil, a flat heated cooking surface built into a stove or ...

s over a flame of wood charcoals carbonized by

dry distillation Dry distillation is the heating of solid materials to produce gaseous products (which may condense into liquids or solids). The method may involve pyrolysis or thermolysis, or it may not (for instance, a simple mixture of ice and glass could be s ...

(''sumibi'', 炭火) or a gas/electric grill. It is one of the most popular dishes in Japan. The origin of contemporary yakiniku is considered to be

Korean barbecue Korean barbecue ( ko, 고기구이, ''gogi-gui,'' 'meat roast') is a popular method in Korean cuisine of grilling meat, typically beef, pork or chicken. Such dishes are often prepared on gas or charcoal grills built into the dining table itself. So ...

, one of the most popular dishes in Korean cuisine. The present style of yakiniku restaurants are derived from Korean restaurants in Osaka and Tokyo, which opened around 1945 by Koreans in Japan.pulgogi.net　"History of Yakiniku

"昭和20年頃、焼肉屋のルーツといわれる東京の「明月館」、大阪千日前の「食道園」が開店しました。" ・ "昭和40年代朝鮮半島問題がきっかけとなって、韓国を支持する派閥が自らの店を「韓国料理屋」と名乗りました。これに伴い、それまで全てが「朝鮮料理」「ホルモン屋」であったモノが、北朝鮮を支持する経営者が「焼肉店」を名乗るようになりました。これは苦肉の策で、プルゴギを日本語に直訳しました" In a yakiniku restaurant, diners order prepared raw ingredients (individually or as a set) which are brought to the table. The ingredients are cooked by the diners on a grill built into the table, several pieces at a time. The ingredients are then dipped in sauces known as '' Tare sauce, tare'' before being eaten. The most common sauce is made of soy sauce mixed with

sake Sake, also spelled saké ( ; also referred to as Japanese rice wine), is an alcoholic beverage of Japanese origin made by fermenting rice that has been polished to remove the bran. Despite the name ''Japanese rice wine'', sake, and indee ...

mirin is a type of rice wine and a common ingredient in Japanese cooking. It is similar to sake but with a lower alcohol content and higher sugar content. The sugar content is a complex carbohydrate that forms naturally during the fermentation pro ...

, sugar, garlic, fruit juice and sesame. Garlic-and-

shallot The shallot is a botanical variety (a cultivar) of the onion. Until 2010, the (French red) shallot was classified as a separate species, ''Allium ascalonicum''. The taxon was synonymized with '' Allium cepa'' (the common onion) in 2010, as the ...

miso is a traditional Japanese seasoning. It is a thick paste produced by fermenting soybeans with salt and ''kōji'' (the fungus '' Aspergillus oryzae'') and sometimes rice, barley, seaweed, or other ingredients. It is used for sauces and spre ...

-based dips are sometimes used.

History

Etymology

After officially being prohibited for many years, beef consumption was legalised in 1871 following the

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were ...

as part of an effort to introduce western culture to the country. The Emperor Meiji became part of a campaign to promote beef consumption, publicly eating beef on January 24, 1873. ''Steak'' and ''roasted meat'' were translated as ''yakiniku'' (焼肉) and ''iriniku'' (焙肉), respectively, as proposed western-style menus in ''Seiyō Ryōri Shinan'' although this usage of the former word was eventually replaced by the loanword ''sutēki''. ''

Jingisukan is a Japanese grilled mutton dish prepared on a convex metal skillet or other grill. It is often cooked alongside beansprouts, onions, mushrooms, and bell peppers, and served with a sauce based in either soy sauce or sake. The dish is particula ...

'', the Japanese transliteration of Genghis Khan, is a style of grilling mutton, which is also referred to as a type of yakiniku. The dish was conceived in Hokkaidō, where it has been a popular blue-collar dish that has only recently gained nationwide popularity. The name Jingisukan is thought to have been invented by Sapporo-born Tokuzo Komai, who was inspired by the grilled mutton dishes of

Northeastern Chinese cuisine Northeastern Chinese cuisine is a style of Chinese cuisine in Northeast China. While many dishes originated from Shandong cuisine and Manchu cuisine, it is also influenced by the cuisines of Russia, Beijing, Mongolia, and North Korea. It partial ...

. The first written mention of the dish under this name was in 1931.

Origin

Common Japanese style of ''yakiniku'', drawing heavy influences from Korean dishes such as

bulgogi ''Bulgogi'' (불고기; ; from Korean ''bul-gogi'' ), literally "fire meat", is a ''gui'' (구이; Korean-style grilled or roasted dish) made of thin, marinated slices of meat, most commonly beef, grilled on a barbecue or on a stove-top grid ...

and

galbi ''Galbi'' * (), ''galbi-gui'' (), or grilled ribs, is a type of ''gui'' (grilled dish) in Korean cuisine. "''Galbi''" is the Korean word for "rib", and the dish is usually made with beef short ribs. When pork spare ribs or another meat is us ...

, became widespread in Japan during the 20th century, most notably after the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. Restaurants serving this dish either advertised themselves as ''

horumonyaki Horumonyaki () is a kind of Japanese cuisine made from beef or pork offal. Kitazato Shigeo, the chef of a ''yōshoku'' restaurant (one that specializes in Western-derived cuisine) in Osaka devised this dish and registered a trademark in 1940. It ...

'' (, offal-grill) or simply . The division of the

Korean peninsula Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

led to disagreements in the mid-1960s in the naming of "Korean food", with pro-South businesses changing their signs to "" (named after

Republic of Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its ea ...

) rather than retaining the term ''Chōsen'' ( Joseon), the name of the old, undivided Korea which by then had been appropriated by the North. According to "Nippon Yakiniku Monogatari written by Toshio Miyatsuka" , the name "yakiniku" became widespread in the latter half of the 1960s, and before that, "yakiniku" was called "Korean cuisine (朝鮮料理, Chōsen ryōri)". The

Korean Peninsula Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

was divided into north and south, and in Japan around this time, the restaurants that served yakiniku and

naengmyeon Naengmyeon * (, in South Korea) or raengmyŏn (, in North Korea) is a noodle dish of North Korean origin which consists of long and thin handmade noodles made from the flour and starch of various ingredients, including buckwheat (메밀, ''me ...

called themselves "Chōsen ryōri (朝鮮料理, Joseon cuisine)", but with treaty on Basic Relations between Japan and the Republic of Korea in 1965, the name "Kankoku ryōri (韓国料理, Korean cuisine)" has increased. Eventually, North Koreans in Japan claimed "Chōsen ryōri" and South Koreans in Japan claimed "Kankoku ryōri", which means "Korean cuisine", which means yakiniku today. It is said that the word "yakiniku" was used as a compromise of political conflict to put an end to this turmoil. Ventilated barbecue systems, introduced by Shinpo Co., Ltd. in March 1980, quickly spread throughout Japan as they enabled diners to eat yakiniku in a smoke-free environment and greatly extended the clientele. The popularity of yakiniku was given a further boost in 1991 when the easing of beef import restrictions led to a drop in the price of beef. However, the industry was dealt an unprecedented blow in 2001 with the occurrence of

BSE BSE may refer to: Medicine * Bovine spongiform encephalopathy, also known as mad cow disease, a neurodegenerative disease of cattle * Breast self-examination Stock exchanges * Bahrain Stock Exchange, Bahrain * Baku Stock Exchange, Azerbaijan * B ...

(mad cow disease) in Japan.

Typical ingredients

Typical ingredients include: * Beef ** Rōsu — loin and chuck slices ** Karubi or baraniku — short ribs. From the Korean word "

". In Japan it is usually served without the bones, unless it is specified as ''hone-tsuki-karubi''. ** Harami — tender meat around the diaphragm. ** Tan — beef

tongue The tongue is a muscular organ in the mouth of a typical tetrapod. It manipulates food for mastication and swallowing as part of the digestive process, and is the primary organ of taste. The tongue's upper surface (dorsum) is covered by taste ...

. From the English word "tongue". Often served with crushed Welsh onion ( Allium fistulosum), salt and lemon juice. ** Misuji — tender meat around the shoulder. * Pork ** Butabara or Samugyopusaru — pork belly. ** P-toro / Tontoro — fatty meat around the cheek and the neck. From the word "Pork toro". * ''Horumon'' or ''motsu'' — offal. ''Horumon'' means "discarded items" and comes from the

Kansai dialect The is a group of Japanese dialects in the Kansai region (Kinki region) of Japan. In Japanese, is the common name and it is called in technical terms. The dialects of Kyoto and Osaka are known as , and were particularly referred to as suc ...

. ** Rebā — beef

liver The liver is a major organ only found in vertebrates which performs many essential biological functions such as detoxification of the organism, and the synthesis of proteins and biochemicals necessary for digestion and growth. In humans, it ...

. From the German word " Leber". ** Tetchan — intestine. From the Korean word " Dae-chang(대창, 大腸)". May simply be referred to as horumon. ** Hatsu —

heart The heart is a muscular organ in most animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels of the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the body, while carrying metabolic waste such as carbon dioxide to t ...

. From the English word "heart". ** Kobukuro — Pork uterus. Enjoyed for its gristly texture. ** Tēru — From the English word "tail". Slices of beef tail cut crosswise, bone attached. ** Mino / Hachinosu — beef

tripe Tripe is a type of edible lining from the stomachs of various farm animals. Most tripe is from cattle, pigs and sheep. Types of tripe Beef tripe Beef tripe is made from the muscle wall (the interior mucosal lining is removed) of a cow's st ...

** Gatsu — Pork stomach. From the English word "gut". * Chicken * Seafood — squid, shellfish, shrimp. * Vegetables — bell pepper, carrots,

shiitake The shiitake (alternate form shitake) (; ''Lentinula edodes'') is an edible mushroom native to East Asia, which is now cultivated and consumed around the globe. It is considered a Medicinal fungi, medicinal mushroom in some forms of tradition ...

and other mushrooms, onions, cabbage, eggplant,

bean sprout Sprouting is the natural process by which seeds or spores germinate and put out shoots, and already established plants produce new leaves or buds, or other structures experience further growth. In the field of nutrition, the term signifies ...

(moyashi), garlic and ''

kabocha Kabocha (; from Japanese カボチャ, 南瓜) is a type of winter squash, a Japanese variety of the species ''Cucurbita maxima.'' It is also called kabocha squash or Japanese pumpkin in North America. In Japan, "''kabocha''" may refer to eithe ...

'' squash are common.

Yakiniku Day

In 1993, the All Japan Yakiniku Association proclaimed 29 August as official "Yakiniku Day" (''yakiniku no hi''), a form of

goroawase Japanese wordplay relies on the nuances of the Japanese language and Japanese script for humorous effect. Double entendres have a rich history in Japanese entertainment (such as in kakekotoba) due to the language's large number of homographs ...

(numerical wordplay), as the date 8月29 can be (roughly) read as ya-(tsu)ki-ni-ku (8 = ya, 2 = ni, 9 = ku).

References

External links

Yakiniku Web
the official site of the All Japan Yakiniku Association (in Japanese)
'Life picture of east Asia' 2008-2 Kanagawa University (in Japanese), p. 112
{{Authority control Barbecue Japanese cuisine terms Japanese fusion cuisine Korean fusion cuisine Meat dishes Offal Table-cooked dishes