Yakitori FAQ
Yakitori is the main way that people barbecue in Japan, so to give you a bit of background we’ve put together this simple FAQ to explain the tradition of Yakitori in more detail.
What is Yakitori?
Yakitori usually refers to skewers of succulent chicken, dipped in bbq sauce, grilled over hot charcoals and is often washed down with a cold beer. You’ll find Yakitori served at drop-in-barbecue stands called Yakitoriya. After a long, hard day at the office, many Japanese stop by these Yakitoriya for a quick snack before the long train ride home. Yakitori is also served in Izakaya restaurants and beer gardens in the summer too – it can be a starter or a main course. You can also find it in supermarkets and takeaways - Yakitori chicken is a very popular traditional dish.
What would I expect to see at a Yakitoriya?
The décor in a Yakitoriya is pretty basic - often including just 5 or 6 stools and a counter. The only things that really differentiate one stand from another is the ingredients in the tare (the sauce used to baste the meat) and the quality of charcoal used. A more up-market Yakitoriya would tend to use hard aromatic charcoal and free-range chicken.
How would I find a Yakitoriya?
Easy! Yakitoriyas are usually indicated by a sign on the outside that displays an image of a "tori" (chicken) and you would be able to smell the fragrant smoke a mile off as it draws in people who are hungry after work. So follow your nose, or failing that, ask the locals!
What can I eat as Yakitori?
Chicken is the main food at a Yakitori. There are two skewers with meat (and vegetables) per order. The skewers are dipped in tare (sweet sauce) or shio (salt). Other popular foods you may find on your skewers include shitake mushrooms, green peppers, gingko nuts, quail eggs - and even sparrow.
How should I eat Yakitori?
Yakitori is very much a casual food and can be eaten wherever you want – walking along, sitting down – anything goes. Yakitori must be served hot though so make sure you’re first to the grill to grab a skewer! In the past people always removed the meat form the skewers as it was a custom to eat with your hands but nowadays people just eat straight from the skewer. This is because serving yakitori on skewers began as part of the food culture among the "common folk" who opted for a more casual eating style.
Where does Yakitori come from?
Yakitori first originated with farmers visiting the Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine in Kyoto to pray for a prosperous harvest. While travelling the farmers would cook and eat small birds like sparrows which the farmers considered to be nuisance because they ruined all the rice crops. Holding the Yakitori skewer and walking along was easy so it became popular as they travelled. In the Meijji Era (1868-1912), Yakitori became accepted as a folk dish. Wild foul was served at high class restaurants while lower quality meat was served at street stands – as it was so reasonably priced, yakitori became an essential part of folk culture. In 1923 the Great Kanto Earthquake struck Tokyo, which meant people had to eat outdoors – this meant that even more Yakitori was eaten at this time. Later, In the Showa Era (1965-1974), the quality of Yakitori sold to the public significantly improved due to the introduction of chicken. Today Yakitori is a very common dish ordered at Yakitoriya, Izakaya restaurants and pubs. Simple and delicious, Yakitori is a representative folk dish that is a favourite among people of all ages.
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