Dengaku — Miso-Glazed Skewered Foods
Japan — dengaku tradition from Heian period; associated with agricultural festivals
Dengaku (田楽, literally 'field entertainment music') is one of Japan's oldest cooking traditions — food skewered on flat wooden or bamboo skewers (dengaku-gushi) and coated with sweetened miso paste before grilling until the miso caramelises to a burnished amber. Traditionally associated with tofu (tofu dengaku), but applied equally to konjac, eggplant, bamboo shoots, salmon, and even flatbreads. The dengaku tradition predates the tea ceremony and is associated with rural harvest festivals — the food was eaten communally while watching agricultural folk performances (dengaku music). The miso used varies by tradition: white miso (Kansai-style, sweet and delicate); red miso (Nagoya-style, intense and robust); or mixed miso; often enhanced with sesame, walnut, or egg yolk. The technique of miso caramelisation on food skewers is among Japan's oldest surviving cooking methods.