Dish · japanese
Yakitori
Bite-sized chicken skewered with scallion and grilled over charcoal, either brushed with a sweet soy glaze or seasoned with just salt. The charcoal smoke shapes the flavor more than the sauce does.
Where it comes from
Yakitori stalls grew common in Japan after World War II, when chicken parts that were otherwise cheap or discarded, skin, cartilage, liver, got skewered and grilled over charcoal as affordable food for workers rebuilding cities.
What cooks argue about
Cooks argue over tare versus shio: a sweet soy glaze dipped repeatedly builds a lacquered coating over multiple passes on the grill, while salt-only depends entirely on charcoal heat and timing to avoid drying meat.
Nobody has published a yakitori recipe yet. The page stays out of search until one exists, which is the rule for every thin page here.