''Shichirin'' (; , literally "seven wheels") is a small Japanese 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 "ring"), its coinage can be suggested through the individual ''kanji''. A popular story links the ''"rin"'' of ''shichirin'' to the

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

currency denomination, the one-''rin'' coin (albeit a different character, 厘). It is said that the ''shichirin'' was an affordable way to cook a meal because the amount of charcoal needed for each lighting only cost seven ''rin.''

Description

The ''shichirin'' is a lightweight, compact, and easy-to-move cooking stove. Most modern ''shichirin'' are produced from rigid blocks of

diatomaceous earth Diatomaceous earth ( ), also known as diatomite ( ), celite, or kieselguhr, is a naturally occurring, soft, siliceous rock, siliceous sedimentary rock that can be crumbled into a fine white to off-white powder. It has a particle size ranging fr ...

mined from deposits. These blocks of earth were then carved by hand or turned by machine before being fired in a kiln and affixed with metal hardware. Some ''shichirin'' are made with a double inside and outside ceramic structure. Charcoal is chiefly used for the fuel. ''Shichirin'' are said to be made in roughly the same way today as in the Edo period, though both

ceramic A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant, and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcela ...

and diatomaceous earth versions were common. The shape is mainly cylindrical, square, or rectangular, and the size also varies. In the Kansai region, they are also known as ''kanteki''. File:Edo personal stove.JPG, A ''shichirin'' of the

File:ShichirinMokutan.JPG, With charcoal File:ShichirinSausage Japan.JPG, Grilling sausages File:Tikutikutikuwa (cropped).jpg, Grilling '' chikuwa''

Use

Charcoal is commonly used as a fuel for a shichirin. For outdoor cooking, black charcoal is used. When indoors, binchōtan is preferred. Binchōtan, a type of white charcoal, produces less of a smell when burned, can continue burning hotly for a longer time, and is less likely to flare up dangerously. As a cheaper alternative, sawdust charcoal may be used.

North American "hibachi"

In North America, small BBQ cooking stoves resembling shichirin are referred to as " hibachi" or "hibachi-style", which in Japanese refers to a small heating device which is not usually used for cooking. It has been suggested that these grills were confusingly marketed as "hibachi" when they were introduced to North America. The word "hibachi" is also (incorrectly) used in some parts of the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

to refer to Japanese steak houses or teppanyaki "iron hot plate" restaurants.英語の「Hibachi」は火鉢じゃなかった
exciteニュース 2005年6月2日

References

Barbecue Cooking appliances Japanese cuisine terms Japanese food preparation utensils Portable furniture {{Japan-culture-stub

Etymology

Description

Use

North American "hibachi"

See also

References