Yakitori is a popular Japanese snack that literally means 'a grilled bird'. In this chicken is skewered using a kushi, a type of skewer typically made of steel, bamboo etc. The skewered chicken is grilled over a charcoal fire. Post which, chicken is seasoned with tare sauce or salt. Sometimes, the chicken is seasoned even when the chicken is being grilled.
Yakitori, may be a popular snack today, but since eating meat was a bit of a taboo in Japan before the Meiji era (1816-1912), it made its way to the mainstream much later. The prevalence of Buddhism laid emphasis on wholesome vegetarian food, but things changed rapidly during the Meiji era, people started breeding chicken in larger numbers, and in urban areas of Japan, street stalls began serving skewered chicken, grilled over charcoal which became a sensation.
In this recipe, grilled chicken is dipped in Teriyaki sauce (a mixture of soy sauce, sugar, sake, and mirin).
