Robatayaki facts for kids
Robatayaki (say "roh-bah-tah-yah-kee"), often shortened to robata, is a special way of cooking from Japan. It's a bit like a barbecue! Food is cooked over hot charcoal at different speeds. Many Japanese restaurants, both in Japan and other countries, use this cooking style.
Traditionally, robata food includes tasty seafood and vegetables. But other foods that are good for grilling can also be cooked this way. Robata cooking is different from other Japanese charcoal cooking. It uses a wide, flat, open fireplace called an irori. This is different from a smaller charcoal grill like a shichirin.
The Story of Robata
Robata cooking started a very long time ago. It comes from the northern part of Japan, especially the island of Hokkaidō. Fishermen there cooked around a shared fireplace, which was their irori. This fireplace was used for cooking and keeping warm.
These fishermen needed to cook on their boats. So, they put their special binchōtan coals in a stone box. This protected the boat from the intense heat. Later, the Japanese government promoted Hokkaido as a beautiful, old-fashioned place. Because of this, robata cooking became popular all over Japan.
The very first robata restaurant was simply called "Robata." It opened in Sendai, in Miyagi Prefecture. It was a big success! Soon, more robata restaurants opened, starting in Osaka. By 1965, there were more than 10,000 robata restaurants across Japan.
Today, in the fishing town of Kushiro on Hokkaido, many restaurants still specialize in this cooking style. The Fuki-ya restaurant in Japan Center (San Francisco) is believed to be the first robatayaki restaurant in the United States.
Robata's Special Feeling
When you go to a robata restaurant, the grill is usually right in the middle. It might be a hearth in a sandpit, like the old irori, or a raised platform. Customers sit all around it.
In Japan, a robata restaurant is often also an izakaya. An izakaya is a casual place where people go to eat and relax after work. This setup reminds people of old times and simpler ways of life. It gives them a warm, happy feeling of the past.
