Robataya Ginmasa Shinjuku-Nomura-building branch 2018-02-21

Japanese cuisine Japanese cuisine encompasses the regional and traditional foods of Japan, which have developed through centuries of political, economic, and social changes. The traditional cuisine of Japan (Japanese: ) is based on rice with miso soup and oth ...

, , often shortened to ''robata'' (ろばた in

hiragana is a Japanese syllabary, part of the Japanese writing system, along with ''katakana'' as well as ''kanji''. It is a phonetic lettering system. The word ''hiragana'' literally means "flowing" or "simple" kana ("simple" originally as contrast ...

), refers to a method of cooking, similar to barbecue, in which items of food are cooked at varying speeds over hot charcoal. Many Japanese restaurants, both in Japan and abroad, specialize in this style of food preparation. Traditionally, the food consists of a combination of morsels of seafood and

vegetable Vegetables are parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. The original meaning is still commonly used and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including the flowers, fruits, stems, ...

s, but other kinds of food that are suitable for grilling may also be offered. The robata cooking style is different from other Japanese charcoal cooking in that it uses a wide, flat open fireplace in the style of an

irori An ''irori'' (, ) is a traditional Japanese sunken hearth fired with charcoal. Used for heating the home and for cooking food, it is essentially a square, stone-lined pit in the floor, equipped with an adjustable pothook – called a ''ji ...

, rather than a

shichirin ] The ''shichirin'' (; , literally "seven wheels") is a small charcoal grill. Etymology ''Shichirin'' being a compound word made up of the characters 七 (''shichi'' or ''nana'', "seven") and 輪 (''rin'' or ''wa'', "wheel," "loop," or "rin ...

or other type of charcoal cooking implement.

History

''Robata'' originates from a centuries-old country style of cooking by northern Japanese fishermen around a communal hearth () that serves as a cooking area and a source of heat, found on the northernmost island of Japan,

Hokkaido is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The lar ...

. The fishermen needed a way to cook on the boats, so they encased

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 ...

coals in a stone box to protect the boat from the intense heat. After a government campaign depicting Hokkaido as an idyllic rustic area, this style of cooking became popular all over Japan. The first ''robata'' restaurant (named "Robata") opened in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture. Proving a successful formula, soon more ''robata'' restaurants followed, starting in

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...

. As of 1965, there were more than 10,000 such restaurants across the country. In the fishermen's town of

Kushiro is a city in Kushiro Subprefecture on the island of Hokkaido, Japan. It serves as the subprefecture's capital and it is the most populated city in the eastern part of the island. Geography Mountains * Mount Oakan * Mount Meakan * Mount Akan ...

on Hokkaido, now many restaurants specialize in this style of cuisine. The Fuki-ya restaurant once owned by Junko and Richard K. Diran in the Japan Center (San Francisco) is said to have been the first robatayaki restaurant in the United States.

Cultural connotations

While the setup varies, a common arrangement has the grill in a central position, whether as a hearth in a sandpit as for the traditional ''irori'', or on a raised dais, around which the customers are seated. In Japan, where the ''robata'' restaurant is often also a male-dominated drinking establishment (''

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 ...

''), this evokes a highly prized nostalgic feeling among the clientele.

References

{{reflist Japanese cuisine Japanese cuisine terms Japanese restaurants Cooking techniques

History

Cultural connotations

See also

References