Kushiyaki | Articles on Japanese Restaurants | Japan Restaurant Guide by Gourmet Navigator
Kushiyaki Summary
Kushiyaki is a generic term for skewered and grilled meat and vegetables. Kushiage refers to fried meat or vegetables on a skewer, whereas kushiyaki refers to grilled meat or vegetables on a skewer. A famous type of kushiyaki is “yakitori” – grilled skewered chicken.
Yakitori restaurants offer various parts of chicken – legs, breast, liver, gizzard, etc. Also, there are restaurants specialized in kushiyaki in a broad sense, not only yakitori. Many of these kushiyaki restaurants offer many ingredients other than meat, such as vegetables - asparagus, shiitake mushrooms, and mini tomatoes – healthy dishes cooked without using oil. Charcoal grilling is the mainstream way of cooking kushiyaki, but as this is hardly ever possible at home, many housewives buy skewers at side dish stands in supermarket, as a side dish for dinner. Many people get together and enjoy yakitori during barbeques and other similar occasions, while enjoying charcoal fires in the open, as yakitori is quite easy to eat without getting one’s hands dirty.
