Yakiniku

Yakiniku

Yakiniku (焼き肉 or 焼肉), meaning "grilled meat", is a Japanese term which, in its broadest sense, refers to grilled meat dishes.

Today, it commonly refers to a Japanese style of cooking bite-sized meat (usually beef and offal) and vegetables on gridirons or griddles over flame of wood charcoals carbonized by dry distillation (sumibi, 炭火) or gas/electric grill.

It is thought to have originated from horumonyaki, a dish of grilled offal, invented by Korean immigrants in the Kansai area after the Second World War.^[1]

In a yakiniku restaurant, diners order several types of prepared raw ingredients (either individually or as a set) which are brought to the table. The ingredients are cooked by the diners on a grill built into the table throughout the duration of the meal, several pieces at a time. The ingredients are then dipped in sauces known as tare before being eaten. The most common sauce is made of Japanese soy sauce mixed with sake, mirin, sugar, garlic, fruit juice and sesame ^[2]. Garlic-and-shallot or miso-based dips are sometimes used, and sometimes yakiniku is eaten seasoned only with salt. Soup, kimchi, nameul, bibimbap and other Korean-influenced dishes are sometimes served alongside.

History

Etymology

Proposed western-style menus in Seiyō Ryōri Shinan (1872) recommending a cold meat dish for breakfast, yakiniku for lunch and a simmered meat or yakiniku dish along with a roasted meat dish for dinner.

Jingisukan.

Meat for yakiniku.

After officially being prohibited for many years, eating beef was legalised in 1871 following the Meiji Restoration^[3] as part of an effort to introduce western culture to the country.^[4] The Emperor Meiji became part of a campaign to promote beef consumption, publicly eating beef on January 24, 1873.^[5][6] Steak and roasted meat were translated as yakiniku (焼肉) and iriniku (焙肉), respectively, as proposed western-style menus in Seiyō Ryōri Shinan published in 1872,^[7] although this usage of the former word was eventually replaced by the loanword sutēki.

Jingisukan (ja:ジンギスカン, the Japanese transliteration of Genghis Khan), is a style of grilling mutton, which is also referred to as a type of yakiniku. The dish was conceived in Hokkaidō, where it has ever since been a popular blue-collar dish, but has only recently gained nationwide popularity. The name Jingisukan is thought to have been invented by Sapporo-born Tokuzo Komai, who was inspired by grilled mutton dishes in Manchuria. The first written mention of the dish under this name was in 1931. ^[8][9] Ventilated barbecue systems, introduced by Shinpo Co., Ltd. in March 1980,^[10] quickly spread throughout Japan as it enabled diners to eat Yakiniku in a smoke-free environment and thus greatly extended the clientele.

The popularity of yakiniku was given a further boost in 1991 when the easing of beef import restrictions led to a drop in the price of beef.^[11]

Similarity to and difference from Korean barbecue

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Yakiniku Korean-style, marinated with sesame seeds and minced green onion sold in a Japanese supermarket in US.

Japanese yakiniku usually differs from authentic Korean dishes such as galbi and bulgogi in several aspects.^{[citation needed][clarification needed]}

The word karubi (Japanese pronunciation of galbi), when used in Japan, solely refers to beef short rib^{[original research?]}, and is not used to refer to similar meat in other animals as they are in Korea, such as Dwaeji galbi (돼지갈비 pork galbi) or Dakk galbi (닭갈비 chicken galbi).^{[citation needed]}

Cutting meat with scissors, as done in Korea, is not standard practice in yakiniku restaurants.^{[clarification needed][citation needed]}

The most popular style of yakiniku^{[citation needed]} in Japanese cuisine corresponds to Korean sen galbi gui (생(鮮)갈비구이) or samgyeopsal, and marinated yangnyeom galbi (양념(藥念)갈비) is generally considered to be more Korean.^{[citation needed]}

Typical Ingredients

Typical ingredients include:

• Beef and pork
  • Rōsu - loin and chuck slices
  • Karubi or baraniku - short ribs. From the Korean word "galbi". In Japan it is usually served without the bones, unless it is specified as hone-tsuki-karubi (galbi on the bone).
• Horumon or motsu - Offal.
  • Harami - tender meat around the diaphragm.
  • Rebā - beef liver. From the German word "de:Leber"^{[citation needed]}.
  • Tan - beef tongue. From the English word "tongue". Often served with salt and lemon juice..
  • Tetchan / Chō (腸) - intestine. From the Chinese word "大肠" (da chang). May simply be referred to as horumon.
  • Hatsu - heart. From the English word "heart".
  • Mino / Hachinosu - beef tripe
• Chicken
• Seafood - squid, shellfish
• Vegetables - bell pepper, carrots, shiitake and other mushrooms, onions, cabbage, eggplant, bean sprout, garlic, and kabocha squash are common

Yakiniku is usually served with rice or beer. Korean soups, kimchi, bibimbap, namul, lettuce and other sometimes Korean-influenced salads are other common side dishes as well as raw meat dishes such as yukhoe, sashimi of meat, liver, and omasum.^{[citation needed]}

Yakiniku Day

In 1993, the All Japan Yakiniku Association proclaimed 29 August as official "Yakiniku Day" (yakiniku no hi).

See also

• Yakitori
• Teriyaki
• Teppanyaki
• Yakisoba
• Galbi
• Bulgogi
• Gyu-Kaku, a chain of yakiniku restaurants
• Cuisine of Japan
• Korean barbecue

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Yakiniku

Wikibooks Cookbook has a recipe/module on Cookbook:Beef Yakiniku

• Yakiniku Web, the official site of the All Japan Yakiniku Association (in Japanese)