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.

Versions

Nobody has published a yakitori here yet. When somebody cooks one from a video and publishes it, their version appears in this list, with a link back to the original.

What goes in it

Each one opens everything else made with it.

Cook this next

Japanese kitchen