For anyone curious about Japanese food and cooking styles, the yakitori can be a fascinating concept – unsurprising, given the precision Japanese techniques adapt. With restaurants around Japan dedicating experts who specialise in a certain type of method, the ‘grilling of a bird’ that yakitori is, can appear to be simple – but with considerable deception. Known to be a subset of kushiyaki – which includes meats, seafood and vegetables – the yakitori is prepared a few different ways. Predominantly seasoned with salt and tare – a soy-based sauce incorporating dashi, vinegar and sake, chicken meat and innards are grilled over charcoal flames; more specifically the binchōtan charcoal that is known to be made from a particular type of oak known as Quercus phillyraeoides or ubame, in Japan.
This regional specialty wood, which belongs to the Wakayama Prefecture near Osaka, is known to possess a density which facilitates an incomparable heat with longevity, that allows the grill to keep an evenly high temperature. The chicken is basted with the sauce as it cooks, allowing the fat to caramelise and also infusing the sauce with the aroma of the smoky chicken. Based off of how adventurous an eater is, cuts of chicken grilled on yakitori skewers range from kashiwa (thigh pieces), tebasaki (wing), skin, chigimo (liver), hatsu (heart), sunagimo (gizzards) as well as tender chicken meatballs called tsukune. Toppings such as shiso leaves and pickled plums or umeboshi are common elements used to finish off a serving of grilled chicken skewers.
Aside from the primary focus for a succulent yakitori being sourcing good quality meat, skwers of the Achilles tendon or akiresu, ribs or engawa are delicacies that are prepared to suit anyone who enjoys a gameier taste. The yakitori experience is an education in the art of eating a whole chicken – while also paying equal attention to treating lesser-known or often-discarded parts of the bird; some of these include the sori – popularly referring to a piece of meat at the back of the thigh to as the ‘oyster’, the bonjiri or bishop’s nose which is the fatty bit at the base of the bird’s tail.
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Traditionally, the yakitori is served as a small plate along with beer in Japanese izakaya bars or as street food all across the country. Sold in pairs, the skewers are meant to be eaten by hand, unlike most well-known Japanese preparations that resort to using chopsticks. The bamboo skewers, once cleared, are placed into a small pot that is placed at the table, for easy disposal. Popular flavours include skewering chicken with spring onions, or simply glazing them with a sticky-sweet teriyaki-style sauce. Cooked over consistent medium heat, a finished yakitori is meant to have some bite, while also being tender and juicy when being eaten.