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{{short description|Japanese food}}
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[[File:KushikatsuDaruma01.jpg|thumb|300px|Skewers of Osaka-style ''kushikatsu'']]
{{Infobox food
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{{nihongo|'''Kushikatsu'''|串カツ}}, also known as {{nihongo|'''kushiage'''|串揚げ}}, is a Japanese dish of [[deep-fried]] [[skewered]] meat and vegetables.<ref name="Rowthorn 2007 p. 95"/><ref name="Suzuki 2005 p. 79"/> In Japanese, {{nihongo|''[[kushi (skewer)|kushi]]''|串}} refers to the [[skewer]]s used<ref name="Rowthorn 2007 p. 95"/> while ''katsu'' means a deep-fried [[cutlet]] of meat.
| name = Kushikatsu
| image = KushikatsuDaruma01.jpg
| image_size =
| image_alt =
⚫
| caption = Skewers of Osaka-style ''kushikatsu''
| alternate_name = Kushiage
| type = Deep-fried skewered meat and vegetables
| course =
| country = Japan
| region =
| national_cuisine =
| creator = <!-- or | creators = -->
| year =
| mintime =
| maxtime =
| served =
| main_ingredient = Chicken, pork, seafood, and seasonal vegetables
| minor_ingredient = Egg, flour, and panko
| variations = Osaka, Tokyo, Nagoya
| serving_size = 100 g
| calories =
| calories_ref =
| protein =
| fat =
| carbohydrate =
| glycemic_index =
| similar_dish =
| other =
}}

⚫
{{nihongo|'''Kushikatsu'''|串カツ}}, also known as {{nihongo|'''kushiage'''|串揚げ}}, is a [[Japanese cuisine|Japanese dish]] of [[deep-fried]] [[skewered]] meat and vegetables.<ref name="Rowthorn 2007 p. 95"/><ref name="Suzuki 2005 p. 79"/> In Japanese, {{nihongo|''[[kushi (skewer)|kushi]]''|串}} refers to the [[skewer]]s used<ref name="Rowthorn 2007 p. 95"/> while ''katsu'' means a deep-fried [[cutlet]] of meat.


== Ingredients ==
== Ingredients ==
Kushikatsu can be made with chicken, pork, seafood, and seasonal vegetables.<ref name="Rowthorn 2007 p. 95"/> These are skewered on bamboo ''kushi''; dipped in egg, flour, and [[panko]]; and deep-fried in vegetable oil. They may be served straight or with [[tonkatsu]] sauce.
Kushikatsu can be made with chicken, pork, seafood, and seasonal vegetables.<ref name="Rowthorn 2007 p. 95"/> These are skewered on bamboo ''kushi''; dipped in egg, flour, and [[panko]]; and deep-fried in vegetable oil. They may be served straight or with [[tonkatsu sauce]].


; Meat
; Meat
: beef (gyūniku), pork meat (butaniku) and [[cartilage]] (nankotsu), sausage, chicken parts including [[tsukune]] (minced), [[gizzard]] (sunagimo), skin (torikawa), and horse meat (baniku). Chicken egg and Japanese quail egg.
: beef (gyūniku), pork meat (butaniku) and [[cartilage]] (nankotsu), sausage, chicken parts including [[tsukune]] (minced chicken), [[gizzard]] (sunagimo), skin (torikawa), and horse meat (baniku), chicken egg and [[Japanese quail#egg and meat production|Japanese quail egg]]
; Seafood
; Seafood
: [[Atlantic horse mackerel]] (aji), [[Sillaginidae|Japanese smelt-whitings]] (kisu), [[shishamo]] smelt, [[Hypomesus nipponensis|wakasagi]] blackwater smelt, prawn and shrimp (ebi), Japanese scallop (hotate or kaibashira), [[Pacific oyster|oyster]] (kaki), octopus (tako), squid and cuttlefish (ika).
: [[Atlantic horse mackerel]] (aji), [[Sillaginidae|Japanese smelt-whitings]] (kisu), [[shishamo]] smelt, [[Hypomesus nipponensis|wakasagi]] blackwater smelt, prawn and shrimp (ebi), Japanese scallop (hotate or kaibashira), [[Pacific oyster|oyster]] (kaki), octopus (tako), squid and cuttlefish (ika)
; Vegetable
; Vegetable
: onion, egg plant (nasu), [[bamboo shoot]] (takenoko), okra, tomato, poteto, sweet potato, [[Chinese yam]] (nagaimo), bell pepper (pīman), [[Nelumbo nucifera|lotus root]] (renkon), [[Arctium lappa|greater burdock]] (gobō), [[pumpkin]] (kabocha), [[broccoli]], [[asparagus]], [[shiitake]] mashroom, [[garlic]] and [[shishito]] pepper.
: onion, eggplant (nasu), [[bamboo shoot]] (takenoko), okra, tomato, potato, sweet potato, [[Chinese yam]] (nagaimo), bell pepper (pīman), [[Nelumbo nucifera|lotus root]] (renkon), [[Arctium lappa|greater burdock]] (gobō), [[pumpkin]] (kabocha), [[broccoli]], [[asparagus]], [[shiitake]] mushroom, [[garlic]] and [[shishito]] pepper
; Products and prepared
; Products and prepared
: fish products - [[chikuwa]], [[hanpen]] and [[kamaboko]].
: fish products: [[chikuwa]], [[hanpen]] and [[kamaboko]]
: dairy - hard, cream, and smoked cheese.
: dairy: hard, cream, and smoked cheeses
: prepared - bell pepper stuffed with minced pork, asparagus wrapped with bacon strips, chikuwa filled with hard cheese. Mochi rice cakes. Dumplings including [[Jiaozi]] (gyōza), [[shumai|shūmai]], and [[beni shōga]] pickled ginger root colored bright pink.
: prepared: bell pepper stuffed with minced pork, asparagus wrapped with bacon strips, chikuwa filled with hard cheese, [[mochi|mochi rice cakes]], dumplings including [[Jiaozi]] (gyōza), [[shumai|shūmai]], and [[beni shōga]] pickled ginger root colored bright pink


== Geographical varieties ==
== Geographical varieties ==
{{Citation needed|date=February 2016}}


=== Osaka area ===
=== Osaka area ===
[[File:Shirotaya20101103.JPG|200px|thumb|Shirotaya restaurant in Osaka]]
[[File:Shirotaya20101103.JPG|200px|thumb|Shirotaya restaurant in Osaka]]


The origin of kushiage is said to be served at food bars in downtown Osaka, in [[Shinsekai]] neighborhood <ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.gnavi.co.jp/en/articles/cuisines/kushikatsu/ | title=Kushikatsu | work=Gurunavi, Inc. | accessdate=30 March 2015}}</ref> Kushikatsu restaurants specialize in the dish.<ref name="Taylor & Francis 2014 p. 247"/>
The origin of kushiage is said to be served at food bars in downtown Osaka, in the [[Shinsekai]] neighborhood.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.gnavi.co.jp/en/articles/cuisines/kushikatsu/ | title=Kushikatsu | work=Gurunavi, Inc. | access-date=30 March 2015}}</ref> Kushikatsu restaurants specialize in the dish.<ref name="Taylor & Francis 2014 p. 247"/> An owner of a small Shinsekai food bar since 1929 is said to be the pioneer cook, and her menu was quite popular among the district of blue collar workers. She prepared meat on skewers and deep fried, which was a kind of fast food handy to eat, not costly, and filling.<ref>{{cite book|author = Kikuchi Takeaki|title =Ano menyūga umareta mise|page=60|publisher = Heibonsha|language=ja}}</ref>
Shinsekai, particularly by a female owner of a small food bar since 1929 is said to be the pioneer cook, and her menu was quite popular among the district of hard working blue collars. She prepared meat on skewers and deep fried, which was a kind of fast food handy to eat, not costy but filling.<ref>{{cite book|author = Kikuchi Takeaki|title =Ano menyūga umareta mise|page=60|publisher = Heibonsha|language=Japanese|ref=harv}}</ref>


As that menu spread to other areas of Osaka and beyond, it is standard that kushikatsu are prepared with a single food not like that in Tokyo where for example they alternately put pork and onion on a skewer. Wider varieties of foods are prepared as the menu developed, on the contrally to those in Nagoya or Tokyo, for instance thin slice of pickled ginger or sausage by itself.
As that menu spread to other areas of Osaka and beyond, it is standard that kushikatsu are prepared with a single food not like that in Tokyo where, for example, they alternately put pork and onion on a skewer. Wider varieties of foods were prepared as the menu developed, on the contrary to those in Nagoya or Tokyo, for instance thin slices of pickled ginger or sausage by itself.


Generally speaking, the food on a skewer is smaller in Osaka style, and customers tend to order larger number of kushi compared to Tokyo or Nagoya that encouraged many kushiage restaurants using a premixed "batter flour" of powdered egg and flour, compared to that in Tokyo or Nagoya where batter is prepared with fresh egg, water and flour topped with panko crusts. Kushiage restaurants in Osaka on high-ends serve kushikatu in Tokyo-Nagoya style. Varieties include that grated [[Chinese yam|yam]] is added for softer texture. New types of kushikatsu restaurants serve oil fondue style kushikatsu that you fry kushi on the table in deep pan with cooking oil. Kushinobō{{citation needed|date=February 2016}} is a typical Osaka style kushiage restaurant on high end with franchiser across Japan, and it is appreciated for their unique serving style that until you tell them you are full and don't need any more, they continue to bring you variations of kushiage to your table endlessly. {{citation needed|date=February 2016 }}
Generally speaking, the food on a skewer is smaller in Osaka style, and customers tend to order larger numbers of kushi compared to Tokyo or Nagoya. That encouraged many kushiage restaurants to use a premixed "batter flour" of powdered egg and flour (compared to that in Tokyo or Nagoya where batter is prepared with fresh egg, water and flour topped with panko crusts). High-end kushiage restaurants in Osaka serve kushikatsu in Tokyo-Nagoya style. Grated [[Chinese yam|yam]] is added for softer texture. New types of kushikatsu restaurants serve fondue-style kushikatsu where customers fry kushi at the table in a deep pan with cooking oil. Kushinobō{{citation needed|date=February 2016}} is a typical high-end Osaka-style kushiage restaurant with franchises across Japan, and it is appreciated for its unique serving style — until a customer informs them that they are full and don't need any more, they continue to bring variations of kushiage to their table.{{citation needed|date=February 2016 }}

Diced cabbege leaves are free condiment prepared in large bowl on the table, which is believed to prevent feeling dull in the stomach.
Diced cabbage leaves are a free condiment prepared in a large bowl on the table, which is believed to prevent a feeling dull in the stomach.


===Tokyo area ===
===Tokyo area ===
The basic kushikatsu in [[Kantō region|Kanto]] eastern Japan area including [[Tokyo]] is cooked with pork rib sliced in 3–4&nbsp;cm (1.5&nbsp;in) dice, thrusted on skewer with sliced onion or leek alternately. Battered with fresh egg, flour and thin layer of panko crust, the skewer is deep fried in vegetable oil either cottonseed, soybean, canola or rapeseed oil. At the table, you will season with thicker brown sauce, sweeter than Worcestershire sauce with mustard if they have on the cruet stand.
The basic kushikatsu in [[Kantō region|Kanto]] eastern Japan area including [[Tokyo]] is made with diced pork rib in 3–4&nbsp;cm (1.5&nbsp;in) cubes, skewered with sliced onions or leeks. Battered with fresh egg, flour and thin layer of [[panko]] crust, the skewer is deep fried in vegetable oil — [[cottonseed]], soybean, canola or rapeseed oil. At the table, skewers are seasoned with thick brown sauce, sweeter than Worcestershire sauce, with mustard if they have it in the cruet stand.


=== Nagoya area ===
=== Nagoya area ===
[[file:Miso katsu by OiMax.jpg|thumb|250px|miso kushikatsu, kushikatsu with [[miso]] sauce. Originated in Nagoya region.]]
[[file:Miso katsu by OiMax.jpg|thumb|250px|Miso kushikatsu, kushikatsu with [[miso]] sauce. Originated in Nagoya region.]]
[[file:Miso katsu restaurant by orangeobject in Ginza, Tokyo.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Yabaton, a Nagoya-style miso katsu restaurant in Ginza]]
[[file:Miso katsu restaurant by orangeobject in Ginza, Tokyo.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Yabaton, a Nagoya-style miso katsu restaurant in Ginza]]
In [[Nagoya]] and its surrounding cities, they serve local delicacy doteni, and you have an option to order kushikatsu with that. Contrary to the serving style in Osaka and Tokyo, in Nagoya, they will dip kushikatu in the thick sauce they grilled and sauteed beef sinew. That sauce is based on hatcho-miso, and the kushikatsu is called miso katsu.
In [[Nagoya]] and its surrounding cities, they serve the local delicacy [[doteni]], and have an option to order kushikatsu with that. Unlike the serving style in Osaka and Tokyo, in Nagoya, they dip kushikatsu in the thick sauce they grilled and sauteed beef sinew. That sauce is based on hatcho-miso, and the kushikatsu is called miso katsu.

<!--I will add another section for ===Western Japan=== in 2-3 days.-->
<!--I will add another section for ===Western Japan=== in 2-3 days.-->


== Other varieties ==
== Other varieties ==
Sophisticated sauce are prepared in subarban areas of other cities including Nishinomiya and [[Kobe]], and several sauces are served along with kushikatsu course.{{citation needed|date=February 2016}} Plain salt, soy sauce, sesami oil and ketcup along with tartar sauce, miso, mayonnaise and other dip style sauce would be the speciality of each restaurant.{{citation needed|date=February 2016}}
Sophisticated sauces are prepared in suburban areas of other cities including Nishinomiya and [[Kobe]], and several sauces are served along with kushikatsu course.{{citation needed|date=February 2016}} Plain salt, soy sauce, sesame oil and ketchup along with tartar sauce, miso, mayonnaise and other dip style sauce could be the speciality of each restaurant.{{citation needed|date=February 2016}}


==Eating manner ==
==Eating Etiquette ==
Eating style is also unique at kushikatu restaurants and food bars as you dip kushikatsu into a pot of thinner sauce before eating. As a sauce pot is shared among customers, and putting your food after a bite is seen not only as a disgusting manner but for sanitary reasons.Some kusiyaki restaurants prepare menu and instruction in English and other languages to warn overseas travelers not to dip food into the shared sauce pot after you bite them, both for sanitary reason and customs.{{efn| {{nihongo|新世界：外国人も「２度漬け禁止」}} a warning article was published on mainstream newspaper.<ref>
Eating style is unique at kushikatsu restaurants and food bars as kushikatsu is dipped into a pot of thinner sauce before eating. As a sauce pot is shared among customers, reinserting food after a bite is seen as bad manners and unsanitary. Instead, a slice of cabbage is used to scoop up sauce from the pot and pour it onto the kushikatsu. In some restaurants they put a brush or spoon at the shared pot to season the kushi.

Some kushiyaki restaurants have a menu and instructions in English and other languages to warn travelers not to dip food into the shared sauce pot after biting it.{{efn| {{nihongo2|新世界：外国人も「２度漬け禁止」}} a warning article was published on mainstream newspaper.<ref>
+
+
{{cite news|title = {{nihongo|新世界：外国人も「２度漬け禁止」}} (Shinsekai - Overseas travelers should be aware of "Never dip twice" rule at Kushikatsu restaurants) |publisher = Mainichi Newspaper| date= 2015-07-28| ref=harv}}</ref><ref>[http://mainichi.jp/select/news/20150728k0000e040201000c.html Foreigners should dip once, too]</ref>}} Instead, you will use a slice of cabbage on your table and scoop up sauce from the pot and pour it on your share of kushikatsu. In some restaurants they put a brush or spoon to the shared pot that you season the kushi on your dish.
{{cite news|title = {{nihongo2|新世界：外国人も「２度漬け禁止」}} (Shinsekai: Overseas travelers should be aware of "Never dip twice" rule at kushikatsu restaurants) |publisher = Mainichi Newspaper| date= 2015-07-28}}</ref><ref>[http://mainichi.jp/select/news/20150728k0000e040201000c.html Foreigners should dip once, too] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150823120328/http://mainichi.jp/select/news/20150728k0000e040201000c.html |date=2015-08-23 }}</ref>}}


== Children's song for Kushikatsu ==
== Children's songs ==
A comic kushikatsu song titled '''Kushikatsu wa ippon''' became popular to the generation born in 1990s as they enjoyed the song in children's song program on TV broadcast.
A comic kushikatsu song titled "Kushikatsu wa ippon" became popular to the generation born in 1990s as they enjoyed the song in children's song program on TV broadcast.
* "Kushikatsuwa ippon" (Single Kushikatsu Skewer), broadcast on NHK channel{{efn| Young mothers and their children enjoyed singing the song "Kushikatsuwa ippon" during the young children's program "Okāsan to Issho" (''With your mother''), a hallmark program NHK TV runs from the 1970s. An anthology of songs were recorded later on DVD.<ref>
* "Kushikatsuwa ippon" (Single Kushikatsu Skewer), broadcast on NHK channel{{efn| Young mothers and their children enjoyed singing the song "Kushikatsuwa ippon" during the young children's program ''Okāsan to Issho'' (''With your mother''), a hallmark program NHK TV runs from the 1970s. An anthology of songs were recorded later on DVD.<ref>
{{cite AV media | people = Satonozuka Reo (Lyrics), Kosugi Yasuo (Composer), Mitani Takumi (Singer), Yokoyama Daisuke (Singer), Itoh Mayu (Dancer), Kobayashi Yoshihisa (Dancer) | date = April 20, 2011| title = Kushikatsuwa ippon| trans-title = Count kushikatsu, kushi skewer | medium = DVD, region 2|editor = NHK Educational |publisher=Pony Canyon|url=http://www.utamap.com/viewkasi.php?surl=E04577|language=Japanese|ref=harv}}</ref>}}
{{cite AV media | people = Satonozuka Reo (Lyrics), Kosugi Yasuo (Composer), Mitani Takumi (Singer), Yokoyama Daisuke (Singer), Itoh Mayu (Dancer), Kobayashi Yoshihisa (Dancer) | date = April 20, 2011| title = Kushikatsuwa ippon| trans-title = Count kushikatsu, kushi skewer | medium = DVD, region 2|editor = NHK Educational |publisher=Pony Canyon|url=http://www.utamap.com/viewkasi.php?surl=E04577|language=ja}}</ref>}}
* "Daruma no Ossan no Uta - sōsu no nidozuke wa kinshi ya de" (Song dedicated to Mr. Darma - never dip your kushikatsu twice in the sauce pot) {{efn|An old kushikatsu restaurant Darma closed as Mr.Darma, or the owner, decided to retire. Kamon dedicated a song to him.
* "Daruma no Ossan no Uta - sōsu no nidozuke wa kinshi ya de" (Song dedicated to Mr. Darma - never dip your kushikatsu twice in the sauce pot){{efn|An old kushikatsu restaurant Darma closed as Mr. Darma, the owner, decided to retire. Kamon dedicated a song to him.<ref>
⚫
{{cite AV media | people = Kamon Tatsuo (Singer, Song writer) | title = Darumano Ossanno Uta - sōsuno nidozukewa kinshiyade| trans-title = Song dedicated to Mr. Darma - never dip your kushikatsu twice in the sauce pot | date = January 1, 2016 |medium = CD |others = ACSC-13 JAN 4580287260251| publisher = CLUTCH | url = http://www.sakurasaku-office.co.jp/kamon/pc/knews.html |language=ja
<ref>
⚫
{{cite AV media | people = Kamon Tatsuo (Singer, Song writer) | title = Darumano Ossanno Uta - sōsuno nidozukewa kinshiyade| trans-title = Song dedicated to Mr. Darma - never dip your kushikatsu twice in the sauce pot | date = January 1, 2016 |medium = CD |others = ACSC-13 JAN 4580287260251| publisher = CLUTCH | url = http://www.sakurasaku-office.co.jp/kamon/pc/knews.html |language=Japanese| ref=harv
}}</ref>}}
}}</ref>}}
<!--/*Other varieties*/new text. /*Eating manner*/ translated partly from [https://ja.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=串カツ&oldid=58735858 串カツ#二度漬け禁止ルール] and [https://ja.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=串カツ&oldid=58735858 串カツ＃串カツに関連した歌] dated 2016-02-25T00:12-->
<!--/*Other varieties*/new text. /*Eating manner*/ translated partly from [https://ja.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=串カツ&oldid=58735858 串カツ#二度漬け禁止ルール] and [https://ja.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=串カツ&oldid=58735858 串カツ＃串カツに関連した歌] dated 2016-02-25T00:12-->


==See also==
==See also==
{{Portal|Japan|Food}}
* [[List of deep fried foods]]
* [[List of deep fried foods]]
* [[Kebab]]
* {{portal-inline|Food}}


==Notes==
==Notes==
{{notelist}}
{{notelist}}

==References==
==References==
{{reflist|refs=
{{reflist|refs=
Line 73: Line 103:


==Further reading==
==Further reading==
* {{cite web | last=O'Donoghue | first=J.J. | title=Pancotei: 'Kushikatsu' morsels prepared with obsessive care | website=[[The Japan Times]] | date=July 22, 2014 | url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2014/07/22/food/pancotei-kushikatsu-morsels-prepared-obsessive-care/ | ref=harv | accessdate=November 15, 2015}}
* {{cite web | last=O'Donoghue | first=J.J. | title=Pancotei: 'Kushikatsu' morsels prepared with obsessive care | website=[[The Japan Times]] | date=July 22, 2014 | url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2014/07/22/food/pancotei-kushikatsu-morsels-prepared-obsessive-care/ | access-date=November 15, 2015}}
* {{cite book|author =Kamon Tatsuo|title = Okano ueno kiraboshi |trans-title= Shining Star over the Hill|publisher = Gentosha|date = January 2015|language = Japanese|isbn =978-4-3440-2832-6|url = http://www.zakzak.co.jp/entertainment/ent-news/news/20151228/enn1512281200008-n2.htm|ref = harv}}
* {{cite book|author =Kamon Tatsuo|title = Okano ueno kiraboshi |trans-title= Shining Star over the Hill|publisher = Gentosha|date = January 2015|language = ja|isbn =978-4-3440-2832-6|url = http://www.zakzak.co.jp/entertainment/ent-news/news/20151228/enn1512281200008-n2.htm}}

{{Japanese food and drink|state=autocollapse}}


[[Category:Japanese cuisine]]
[[Category:Deep fried foods of Japan]]
[[Category:Japanese cuisine terms]]
[[Category:Japanese cuisine terms]]
[[Category:Japanese meat dishes]]

Latest revision as of 06:33, 27 April 2024

Kushikatsu
Skewers of Osaka-style kushikatsu
Alternative namesKushiage
TypeDeep-fried skewered meat and vegetables
Place of originJapan
Main ingredientsChicken, pork, seafood, and seasonal vegetables
Ingredients generally usedEgg, flour, and panko
VariationsOsaka, Tokyo, Nagoya

Kushikatsu (串カツ), also known as kushiage (串揚げ), is a Japanese dish of deep-fried skewered meat and vegetables.[1][2] In Japanese, kushi (串) refers to the skewers used[1] while katsu means a deep-fried cutlet of meat.

Ingredients[edit]

Kushikatsu can be made with chicken, pork, seafood, and seasonal vegetables.[1] These are skewered on bamboo kushi; dipped in egg, flour, and panko; and deep-fried in vegetable oil. They may be served straight or with tonkatsu sauce.

Meat
beef (gyūniku), pork meat (butaniku) and cartilage (nankotsu), sausage, chicken parts including tsukune (minced chicken), gizzard (sunagimo), skin (torikawa), and horse meat (baniku), chicken egg and Japanese quail egg
Seafood
Atlantic horse mackerel (aji), Japanese smelt-whitings (kisu), shishamo smelt, wakasagi blackwater smelt, prawn and shrimp (ebi), Japanese scallop (hotate or kaibashira), oyster (kaki), octopus (tako), squid and cuttlefish (ika)
Vegetable
onion, eggplant (nasu), bamboo shoot (takenoko), okra, tomato, potato, sweet potato, Chinese yam (nagaimo), bell pepper (pīman), lotus root (renkon), greater burdock (gobō), pumpkin (kabocha), broccoli, asparagus, shiitake mushroom, garlic and shishito pepper
Products and prepared
fish products: chikuwa, hanpen and kamaboko
dairy: hard, cream, and smoked cheeses
prepared: bell pepper stuffed with minced pork, asparagus wrapped with bacon strips, chikuwa filled with hard cheese, mochi rice cakes, dumplings including Jiaozi (gyōza), shūmai, and beni shōga pickled ginger root colored bright pink

Geographical varieties[edit]

Osaka area[edit]

Shirotaya restaurant in Osaka

The origin of kushiage is said to be served at food bars in downtown Osaka, in the Shinsekai neighborhood.[3] Kushikatsu restaurants specialize in the dish.[4] An owner of a small Shinsekai food bar since 1929 is said to be the pioneer cook, and her menu was quite popular among the district of blue collar workers. She prepared meat on skewers and deep fried, which was a kind of fast food handy to eat, not costly, and filling.[5]

As that menu spread to other areas of Osaka and beyond, it is standard that kushikatsu are prepared with a single food not like that in Tokyo where, for example, they alternately put pork and onion on a skewer. Wider varieties of foods were prepared as the menu developed, on the contrary to those in Nagoya or Tokyo, for instance thin slices of pickled ginger or sausage by itself.

Generally speaking, the food on a skewer is smaller in Osaka style, and customers tend to order larger numbers of kushi compared to Tokyo or Nagoya. That encouraged many kushiage restaurants to use a premixed "batter flour" of powdered egg and flour (compared to that in Tokyo or Nagoya where batter is prepared with fresh egg, water and flour topped with panko crusts). High-end kushiage restaurants in Osaka serve kushikatsu in Tokyo-Nagoya style. Grated yam is added for softer texture. New types of kushikatsu restaurants serve fondue-style kushikatsu where customers fry kushi at the table in a deep pan with cooking oil. Kushinobō[citation needed] is a typical high-end Osaka-style kushiage restaurant with franchises across Japan, and it is appreciated for its unique serving style — until a customer informs them that they are full and don't need any more, they continue to bring variations of kushiage to their table.[citation needed]

Diced cabbage leaves are a free condiment prepared in a large bowl on the table, which is believed to prevent a feeling dull in the stomach.

Tokyo area[edit]

The basic kushikatsu in Kanto eastern Japan area including Tokyo is made with diced pork rib in 3–4 cm (1.5 in) cubes, skewered with sliced onions or leeks. Battered with fresh egg, flour and thin layer of panko crust, the skewer is deep fried in vegetable oil — cottonseed, soybean, canola or rapeseed oil. At the table, skewers are seasoned with thick brown sauce, sweeter than Worcestershire sauce, with mustard if they have it in the cruet stand.

Nagoya area[edit]

Miso kushikatsu, kushikatsu with miso sauce. Originated in Nagoya region.
Yabaton, a Nagoya-style miso katsu restaurant in Ginza

In Nagoya and its surrounding cities, they serve the local delicacy doteni, and have an option to order kushikatsu with that. Unlike the serving style in Osaka and Tokyo, in Nagoya, they dip kushikatsu in the thick sauce they grilled and sauteed beef sinew. That sauce is based on hatcho-miso, and the kushikatsu is called miso katsu.

Other varieties[edit]

Sophisticated sauces are prepared in suburban areas of other cities including Nishinomiya and Kobe, and several sauces are served along with kushikatsu course.[citation needed] Plain salt, soy sauce, sesame oil and ketchup along with tartar sauce, miso, mayonnaise and other dip style sauce could be the speciality of each restaurant.[citation needed]

Eating Etiquette[edit]

Eating style is unique at kushikatsu restaurants and food bars as kushikatsu is dipped into a pot of thinner sauce before eating. As a sauce pot is shared among customers, reinserting food after a bite is seen as bad manners and unsanitary. Instead, a slice of cabbage is used to scoop up sauce from the pot and pour it onto the kushikatsu. In some restaurants they put a brush or spoon at the shared pot to season the kushi.

Some kushiyaki restaurants have a menu and instructions in English and other languages to warn travelers not to dip food into the shared sauce pot after biting it.[a]

Children's songs[edit]

A comic kushikatsu song titled "Kushikatsu wa ippon" became popular to the generation born in 1990s as they enjoyed the song in children's song program on TV broadcast.

  • "Kushikatsuwa ippon" (Single Kushikatsu Skewer), broadcast on NHK channel[b]
  • "Daruma no Ossan no Uta - sōsu no nidozuke wa kinshi ya de" (Song dedicated to Mr. Darma - never dip your kushikatsu twice in the sauce pot)[c]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ 新世界：外国人も「２度漬け禁止」 a warning article was published on mainstream newspaper.[6][7]
  2. ^ Young mothers and their children enjoyed singing the song "Kushikatsuwa ippon" during the young children's program Okāsan to Issho (With your mother), a hallmark program NHK TV runs from the 1970s. An anthology of songs were recorded later on DVD.[8]
  3. ^ An old kushikatsu restaurant Darma closed as Mr. Darma, the owner, decided to retire. Kamon dedicated a song to him.[9]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Rowthorn, C. (2007). Japan. Country Guides. Lonely Planet. p. 95. ISBN 978-1-74104-667-0.
  2. ^ Suzuki, R. (2005). Cocina Japonesa. Secretos de la cocina. Origo Chile. p. Pt-79. ISBN 978-956-8077-28-0.
  3. ^ "Kushikatsu". Gurunavi, Inc. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  4. ^ History Of Japanese Food. Taylor & Francis. 2014. pp. 247–248. ISBN 978-1-136-60255-9.
  5. ^ Kikuchi Takeaki. Ano menyūga umareta mise (in Japanese). Heibonsha. p. 60.
  6. ^ + "新世界：外国人も「２度漬け禁止」 (Shinsekai: Overseas travelers should be aware of "Never dip twice" rule at kushikatsu restaurants)". Mainichi Newspaper. 2015-07-28.
  7. ^ Foreigners should dip once, too Archived 2015-08-23 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ Satonozuka Reo (Lyrics), Kosugi Yasuo (Composer), Mitani Takumi (Singer), Yokoyama Daisuke (Singer), Itoh Mayu (Dancer), Kobayashi Yoshihisa (Dancer) (April 20, 2011). NHK Educational (ed.). Kushikatsuwa ippon [Count kushikatsu, kushi skewer] (DVD, region 2) (in Japanese). Pony Canyon.
  9. ^ Kamon Tatsuo (Singer, Song writer) (January 1, 2016). Darumano Ossanno Uta - sōsuno nidozukewa kinshiyade [Song dedicated to Mr. Darma - never dip your kushikatsu twice in the sauce pot] (CD) (in Japanese). ACSC-13 JAN 4580287260251. CLUTCH.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

Further reading[edit]

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