History of yakitori
- Published 2010.7.13
History of yakitori
In the latter half of the 18th Century, a dish called sukiyaki (すき焼き) was created. Presently, sukiyaki uses mainly pork, but at the time, chicken was used, having been considered a high class foodstuff. It is said that common people longed to eat chicken, which is why yakitori stores started appearing.
At that time, yakitori was made using the sinewy scrap meat that was left over from restaurants, but pork and horse meat is said to have also been used.
In the first half of the 19th Century, yakiton, a variation which used pork, was created in the Kantō region, and in the Kansai region was created kushikatsu, skewed pork and green onion. Apparently it was hard for common folk to obtain the high class chicken.
After the Second World War, broilers were introduced to Japan via the American army. The price of chicken dropped, allowing it to appear regularly in common markets. The cost of yakitori dropped consequently, and due to its good affinity with alcohol, its popularity grew in the blink of an eye.
