Yakitori

Yakitori is traditionally grilled over binchōtan, a dense white charcoal made mainly from ubame oak, which burns very hot, long and with little smoke or odour. The most famous kind, Kishū binchōtan, comes from Wakayama Prefecture. Narrow grills hold the skewers above the coals so that only the meat is exposed to the heat.

Customers choose between shio, where the skewer is seasoned simply with salt, and tare, a glaze of soy sauce, mirin, sugar and sake into which the skewers are dipped during grilling. Many shops keep their tare going for years, topping it up daily. Common condiments are shichimi (seven-spice chilli powder), sanshō pepper and wasabi.

A yakitori menu lists the parts of the chicken, and many shops offer a set (moriawase) to start. Beyond chicken, most yakitori-ya also grill vegetables, mushrooms and pork skewers; strictly these are kushiyaki, 'skewer grilling', but the word yakitori is used for the whole category.

Several cities call themselves yakitori towns, and in a few of them 'yakitori' does not mean chicken at all. The local styles reflect what meat was cheap and plentiful when the dish took hold.

Yakitori is usually ordered by the skewer, one or two of each, a few at a time, and often with beer, highballs or sake. At a counter, the chef may ask 'shio or tare?' for each cut. Skewers can be eaten straight from the stick; when sharing, it is common to slide the pieces off with chopsticks. Used skewers go into the container provided on the counter.

From spring to autumn, yakitori is also a staple of festival food stalls, and supermarkets and convenience stores sell ready-grilled skewers.