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 yakitori and kushiyaki are used interchangeably in Japanese society to refer to skewered meat collectively; however, when referring to a specific item, yakitori will not be used unless the primary meat is chicken. While using pork, grilled pork on skewers are cooked with the same sauce as yakitori, and that is why in some areas as

Muroran is a city and port located in Iburi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital city of Iburi Subprefecture. As of February 29, 2012, the city has an estimated population of 93,716, with 47,868 households and a population density of . The ...

, grilled pork on skewers are called "yakitori", instead of . While

kabayaki is a preparation of fish, especially ''unagi'' eel,, vol. 7,"kabayaki" by describes it as being used principally or almost always for ''unagi'' (「もっぱら鰻」) where the fish is split down the back the Japanese dictionary says ''kaba ...

is also skewered and grilled over charcoal, it is rarely categorized as kushiyaki since they are not served on skewers.
Fish grilled whole on skewers with salt and served after pulling off the skewer including sea bream (''tai'') and sweetfish (''ayu'') is not called kushiyaki but shioyaki ("grilled with salt") at high-end restaurants. At food stalls or yatai, ''ayu'' is sold on skewers.

Variety

In order to facilitate even cooking, the ingredient is cut into small, roughly uniform shapes. Skewers or ''kushi'' are made with bamboo or Japanese cypress, and shape as well as length varies to use for the type of food: flat skewers are used for minced meat, for example. ; Meat : beef (''gyūniku''), pork meat (''butaniku'') and cartilage (''nankotsu''), horse meat (''baniku''). ; Seafood : sweetfish (ayu), minced and seasoned

Atlantic horse mackerel The Atlantic horse mackerel (''Trachurus trachurus''), also known as the European horse mackerel or common scad, is a species of jack mackerel in the family Carangidae, the jacks, pompanos and trevallies. It is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocea ...

(''aji'') and sardine (''iwashi''), prawn and shrimp (''ebi''), Japanese scallop (''hotate''), squid and cuttlefish (''ika''). ; Vegetable : onion (''tamanegi''), eggplant (''nasu''),Kushiyaki grilled with coat of sweet

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 ...

such as eggplant, tōfu or konnyaku is called ''dengaku''. cherry tomato, potato, pumpkin (''kabocha''), scallion (''negi''), ginkgo nuts (''ginnan''), green bell pepper (''pīman''), garlic (''ninniku''), Japanese pepper (''shishitō''). ; Products and prepared : Tōfu,

nattō , spelled as natto in standard English language use, is a traditional Japanese food made from whole soybeans that have been fermented with ''Bacillus subtilis'' var. ''natto''. It is often served as a breakfast food with rice. It is served wi ...

, steamed rice.In the mountainous area of

Aichi is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Aichi Prefecture has a population of 7,552,873 () and a geographic area of with a population density of . Aichi Prefecture borders Mie Prefecture to the west, Gifu Prefecture ...

, Gifu,

Nagano Nagano may refer to: Places * Nagano Prefecture, a prefecture in Japan ** Nagano (city), the capital city of the same prefecture *** Nagano 1998, the 1998 Winter Olympics *** Nagano Olympic Stadium, a baseball stadium in Nagano *** Nagano Universi ...

Shizuoka Shizuoka can refer to: * Shizuoka Prefecture, a Japanese prefecture * Shizuoka (city), the capital city of Shizuoka Prefecture * Shizuoka Airport * Shizuoka Domain, the name from 1868 to 1871 for Sunpu Domain, a predecessor of Shizuoka Prefecture ...

, Toyama and Yamanashi Prefectures, steamed and mashed rice basted on flat skewers and grilled with coat of sweet miso is called ''gohei mochi'' ( :ja:五平餅). When cooked rice is mashed and basted around kushi to form cylinders in Akita Prefecture, it is called ''"tampo"'' which is cut and cooked in

kiritanpo is a Japanese dish particularly in Akita Prefecture. Freshly cooked rice is pounded until somewhat mashed, then formed into cylinders around Japanese cedar skewers, and toasted over an open hearth. It can then be served with sweet miso or cooke ...

Seasoning

Kushiyaki seasonings are primarily divided among 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 ...

karashi , also known as Oni Karashi is a type of mustard used as a condiment or as a seasoning in Japanese cuisine. ''Karashi'' is made from the crushed seeds of ''Brassica juncea'' (brown mustard) and is usually sold in either powder or paste form. '' ...

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.

Examples

Products and prepared food are applied for receipt. *, bell pepper stuffed with minced pork *, cherry tomato wrapped with bacon strips *, fried thin tofu (

aburaage is a Japanese food product made from twice-fried soybeans. It is produced by cutting tofu into thin slices and deep-frying them first at 110–120 °C, and then again at 180–200 °C. ''Abura-age'' is often used to wrap , and is added to miso ...

) pouch filled with

*, beef tongue, sliced thinly. *, Pork belly *, thicker variety of deep-fried tōfu *,

enoki ''Flammulina filiformis'' is a species of agaric (gilled mushroom) in the family Physalacriaceae. It is well known for its role in Japanese cuisine, where it is called ''enokitake'' (榎茸, エノキタケ, ) and is widely cultivated in East A ...

mushrooms wrapped in slices of pork *,

asparagus Asparagus, or garden asparagus, folk name sparrow grass, scientific name ''Asparagus officinalis'', is a perennial flowering plant species in the genus '' Asparagus''. Its young shoots are used as a spring vegetable. It was once classified in ...

wrapped in bacon

Gallery

File:Ayu no Shioyaki.jpg, ''Shioyaki'' (ayu grilled with salt) File:Kushiyaki- pork-wrapped asparagus, wings.jpg, Left: ''Asuparamaki'' (

wrapped in thinly sliced pork) File:Nameshi teisyoku.jpg, Tōfu dengaku served in ''teishoku'' style File:Tsubugai-Kushiyaki.jpg, ''Tsubugai'' or whelks File:Kushiyaki- ginkgo nuts.jpg,

Ginkgo ''Ginkgo'' is a genus of non-flowering seed plants. The scientific name is also used as the English name. The order to which it belongs, Ginkgoales, first appeared in the Permian, 270 million years ago, and is now the only living genus with ...

nuts File:Preparing mitarashi dango Mino Gifu.JPG, Mitarashi dango

References

External links

Japan Guide

Everyday Japanese Cuisine
{{Street food Japanese beef dishes Japanese pork dishes Grilled skewers Street food Japanese cuisine terms