Yakitori


In Japanese cuisine, yakitori is chicken cooked on a skewer over a charcoal fire and seasoned with sauce or salt. The term sometimes refers to in general.

Preparation

The meat is cut into small, roughly uniform shapes and skewered with, then 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 the ingredients to cook quickly while imparting a crunchy texture to the skin. Although gas and electric heat sources are sometimes used, they do not develop the same aromas or textures.
Traditionally, is cooked on portable charcoal grills. That is the method most often employed by. However, restaurants often use stationary grills and, depending on the situation, higher quality charcoal.
At home, appliances known as or are used. are small electrical appliances that use a heating element similar to that of a broiler or toaster to cook the food placed on top.

Seasoning

Yakitori seasonings are primarily divided into two types: salty or salty-sweet. The salty type usually uses plain salt as its main seasoning, though in some parts of Japan, such as Saitama prefecture, it may be accompanied by a spicy miso dipping sauce. For the salty-sweet variety,, a special glaze consisting of mirin, sake, soy sauce, and sugar is applied after cooking. Other common spices include powdered cayenne pepper,, Japanese pepper, black pepper, and wasabi, according to one's tastes.

Sales

are small shops specializing in. They usually take the form of a compact shop offering take-out services only, but sit-down restaurants and restaurant chains are also popular.
is not limited to speciality shops: It is readily found on the menus of 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 -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, is a very popular street food that is often sold from small carts and stalls, known as. 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.

Examples

Due to a wide diversity in cuts and preparation methods, takes on many forms. Some popular examples include: