Yakiniku — Japanese Grilled Meat Culture
Japan — Zainichi Korean origin, post-WWII; fully naturalised by 1960s
Yakiniku (literally 'grilled meat') is Japan's table-top grilled meat tradition — adapted from Korean barbecue (bulgogi/galbi) by Zainichi Korean immigrants in post-WWII Japan and now fully naturalised as a Japanese dining culture with distinct Japanese characteristics. The yakiniku experience: charcoal or gas grills in the centre of each table; individual diners grill their own thin-cut meat portions; a wide variety of cuts is ordered in small amounts and grilled briefly (never overcooked); dipped in yakiniku tare (soy-sesame-garlic-sweetness-based dipping sauce) or eaten with simple salt and lemon. Key cuts: kalbi (ribs, from the Korean term), harami (skirt steak), tan (tongue), sirloin, rump, and offal (liver, small intestine/koteri, small intestine/horumon). Premium yakiniku restaurants serve Matsusaka or Kobe wagyu in slices so thin they cook in 10 seconds on the grill.