Teriyaki Chicken

Blending an exorbitant cascade of tropical flavours with the simplistic way of traditional Japanese cooking, the Teriyaki Chicken is as much an American euphoria as it is a Japanese bequest. Enjoyed in every fusion cuisine of the world, the Teriyaki Chicken combines Japan’s inherent diaphanous broth with the American obsession with white meat in the post-World War II era.

The word Teriyaki essentially refers to a Japanese cooking technique that involves tossing broiled or grilled meat in a glaze of soy sauce, mirin (rice wine), and sugar. While the traditional Japanese Teriyaki dishes were cooked with fish, the western imbibition of the method popularised white and red meat like chicken, pork, lamb, and beef. The etymological breakdown of Teriyaki yields the nouns "teri", referring to the typical lustrous appearance of the Tare (dipping sauce), and Yaki, the conventional method of Japanese grilling. A topping of sesame seeds and green onions is the common identification mark of the dish anywhere in the world.

Teriyaki cooking is believed to have originated in the Tokugawa Shogunate of the 1600s, and was mastered over the next 200 years of the Shogun reign. Historians presume that rapid advancements in urbanisation and agriculture resulted in new cooking methods and ingredients in the era, including Teriyaki. Though the Teriyaki Chicken lends its authentic way of preparation from Japan’s illustrious past, surprisingly, the dish is an American creation of the 20th century.

Food historians have figured that Teriyaki Chicken was invented in the Hawaiian Islands by Japanese immigrants settling in large numbers on the US west coast since the World War II was brewing. The Japanese, known to be ardent followers of their customs, incorporated the culinary finesse of their homeland in new recipes conjured with tropical island ingredients. It was here that fish was swapped with chicken and the age-old sauce of mirin, sugar, and soy was accentuated with pineapples, brown sugar, garlic, Sake (rice wine), and corn starch, giving rise to a modern serving of this spellbinding dish.

A different version of the dish’s historical appearance credits a Japanese immigrant to Seattle by the name of Junki Yoshida who began marketing his mother’s Teriyaki sauce in sample pouches that became a quick hit and was later taken over by the world’s largest and Japan’s most popular soy sauce brand, Kikkoman. Since the popularisation of the Teriyaki chicken and its representation in popular manga and anime like Ren Goku’s sumptuous Bento box from Demon Slayer, teriyaki recipes are on an exhilarating climb in the list of global favourites.