In Japanese cuisine, robatayaki (炉端焼き, literally "fireside-cooking"), often shortened to just robata (ろばた in hiragana), refers to a method of cooking, similar to barbecue, in which items of food on skewers are slow-grilled over hot charcoal. Traditionally, the food consists of a combination of morsels of seafood and vegetables, but other kinds of food that are suitable for grilling may also be offered.
While the setup varies, a common arrangement is that in which the grill
has a central position, whether as a hearth in a sand-pit as for the
traditional irori, or on a raised dais, around which the customers are seated. In Japan, where the robata restaurant is often also a male-dominated drinking establishment (izakaya), this evokes a highly prized nostalgic feeling among the clientele.[3]
Robata originates from a centuries-old country style of cooking by northern Japanese fishermen around a communal hearth (irori) that serves both as a cooking area and to provide heating, found on the northernmost island of Japan, Hokkaido.[1] After a government campaign depicting Hokkaido as an idyllic rustic area, this style of cooking became popular all over Japan.[1] The first robata restaurant (which was named "Robata") opened in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture. Proving a successful formula, soon more robata restaurants followed, starting with Osaka. As of 1965, there were more than 10,000 such restaurants across the country.
No comments:
Post a Comment