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 ...

type of

skewer A skewer is a thin metal or wood stick used to hold pieces of food together. The word may sometimes be used as a metonym, to refer to the entire food item served on a skewer, as in "chicken skewers". Skewers are used while grilling or roasting ...

chicken The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster or cock is a term for an adu ...

. Its preparation involves skewering the meat with , a type of skewer typically made of steel, bamboo, or similar materials. Afterwards, they are grilled over a charcoal fire. During or after cooking, the meat is typically seasoned with

tare sauce is a general term in Japanese cuisine for dipping sauces often used in grilling (''yakitori'' and ''yakiniku'', especially as ''teriyaki'' sauce) as well as with ''sushi'', ''nabemono'', and ''gyoza''. It can also be used to make the soup for ...

or salt. The term is sometimes used informally for ''

kushiyaki is a formal term that encompasses both poultry and non-poultry items, skewered and grilled. At times, restaurants group them as and ''yakimono'' ( 焼き物). Yakitori and kushiyaki Muroran '' yakitori'' is actually pork, not chicken Both y ...

'' (grilled and skewered foods) in general.

Preparation

As they are designed for convenience and portability, yakitori are typically cooked using step-by-step methods. Traditionally, it was accomplished using portable charcoal grills. That is the method most often employed by yatai, however, restaurants may use stationary grills and, depending on the situation, higher quality

binchōtan ''Binchō-tan'' ( ja, 備長炭), also called white charcoal or ''binchō-zumi,'' is a type of charcoal traditionally used in Japanese cooking. Its use dates to the Edo period, when, during the Genroku era, a craftsman named Bichū-ya Chōzae ...

charcoal. At home, appliances known as or are used. Yakitori-ki are small electrical appliances that use a heating element similar to that of a broiler or toaster to cook the food placed on top. Yakitori in store by sunday driver in Kyoto

Yakitori in store by sunday driver in Kyoto

To facilitate even cooking, the meat is cut into small, roughly uniform shapes and then skewered with ''kushi''; after which the yakitori are seasoned and cooked. Charcoal is the preferred method of cooking as it produces high heat and strong flames while giving off little to no water vapor. This allows for the ingredients to cook quickly while imparting a crunchy texture to the skin. While gas and electric heat sources can be used, they do not develop the same aromas or textures as charcoal-cooked yakitori.

Seasoning

Yakitori seasonings are primarily divided into two types: salty or salty-sweet. The salty type usually uses plain salt as its main seasoning. For the salty-sweet variety, tare, a special sauce consisting of

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 ...

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 ...

, soy sauce, and sugar is used. Other common spices include powdered

cayenne pepper The cayenne pepper is a type of '' Capsicum annuum''. It is usually a moderately hot chili pepper used to flavor dishes. Cayenne peppers are a group of tapering, 10 to 25 cm long, generally skinny, mostly red-colored peppers, often with ...

shichimi , also known as or simply ''shichimi'', is a common Japanese spice mixture containing seven ingredients. Tōgarashi is the Japanese name for ''Capsicum annuum'', a red pepper native to Central and South America, and it is this ingredient tha ...

, Japanese pepper,

black pepper Black pepper (''Piper nigrum'') is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, known as a peppercorn, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit is a drupe (stonefruit) which is about in dia ...

, and

wasabi Wasabi ( Japanese: , , or , ; ''Eutrema japonicum'' or ''Wasabia japonica'') or Japanese horseradish is a plant of the family Brassicaceae, which also includes horseradish and mustard in other genera. The plant is native to Japan and the Russi ...

, according to one's tastes.

Sales

are small shops specializing in yakitori. They usually take the form of a compact shop offering take-out services only, but sit-down restaurants and restaurant chains are also popular. Yakitori is not limited to speciality shops: It is readily found on the menus of

izakaya An () is a type of informal Japanese bar that serves alcoholic drinks and snacks. are casual places for after-work drinking, similar to a pub, a Spanish tapas bar, or an American saloon or tavern. Etymology The word entered the English l ...

all across Japan and is sold pre-cooked, as frozen vacuum packs, or even canned. The latter was made popular by Hotei Foods Corporation, the first company that started selling yakitori-in-can in 1970, with nine flavors as of 2016. Their TV commercial song has been iconic to their brand name. Due to its ease of preparation and portability, yakitori is a very popular street food, often sold from small carts and stalls known as yatai. Yatai are found, among other places, dotting streets during festivals or on heavily trafficked routes during the evening commute where customers enjoy beer and sake with yakitori.

Examples

Due to a wide diversity in cuts and preparation methods, yakitori takes on many forms. Some popular examples include: * ''momo'' (もも), chicken thigh * ''hasami'' (はさみ), gizzard and spring onion * ''sasami'' (ささみ), breast meat * ''negima'' (ねぎま), chicken and spring onion * ''

tsukune is a Japanese chicken meatball most often cooked yakitori style (but also can be fried, baked, or boiled) and sometimes covered in a sweet soy or yakitori ''tare'', which is often mistaken for teriyaki sauce. Summary Thickeners are added to ...

'' (つくね), chicken meatballs * ''(tori)kawa'' ((とり)かわ), chicken skin, grilled until crispy * ''tebasaki'' (手羽先), chicken wing * ''bonjiri'' (ぼんじり), chicken tail * ''shiro'' (シロ), chicken small intestines * ''nankotsu'' (なんこつ), chicken cartilage * ''hāto / hatsu'' (ハート / ハツ) or kokoro (こころ), chicken heart * ''rebā'' (レバー), liver * ''sunagimo'' (砂肝) or zuri (ずり), chicken

gizzard The gizzard, also referred to as the ventriculus, gastric mill, and gigerium, is an organ found in the digestive tract of some animals, including archosaurs (pterosaurs, crocodiles, alligators, dinosaurs, birds), earthworms, some gastropods, so ...

* ''toriniku'' (鶏肉), all white meat on skewer * ''yotsumi'' (四つ身), pieces of chicken breast

Gallery

File:Kushiyaki- assorted kawa (chicken skin), yamaimo (sticky yam), shishito.jpg, Left to right: ''Kawa'' (chicken skin); '' yamaimo''; '' shishitō'' File:Torikizoku 20200801-05.jpg, Chicken liver File:Kushiyaki- tsukune, scallion and pork belly.jpg, Left to right: ''Tsukune''; ''negi'' (scallion) and ''butabara'' (pork back ribs) File:Yakitori - Chicken thigh and negi.jpg, ''Negima'' (chicken thigh and scallion)

References

External links

Everyday Japanese Cuisine
{{Authority control Japanese meat dishes Japanese chicken dishes Grilled skewers Street food Japanese cuisine terms