Hello teppanyaki-ga!
I love Japanese food, so what a great question for me to research!
I?ll admit, when we go to our local Japanese restaurant, we bypass the
teppanyaki and head straight for the sushi, but now maybe we?ll have
to try the teppanyaki!
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TEPPANYAKI HISTORY
As you probably know, teppanyaki is a word meaning ?iron griddle?
(teppan) and ?fry? (yaki). Over 50 years ago, in the port town of
Kobe, customers would select whatever fresh ingredients were available
that day, and a cook would cook these ingredients in plain view of the
customer. There was no flair or ?show??just good cooking. This
represented a fusion of two types of Japanese cooking, however:
?robatayaki? (Japanese barbecue, also cooked in front of customers)
and sushi restaurants (which have a large fresh ingredients case).
http://www.sushiandtofu.com/sushi_and_tofu/food_teppanyakiKingOf_0301.htm
In an article, Chef Koji Kanega from the Grand Hyatt Fukuoka, Japan
describes teppanyaki and discusses its origins. He says that
ultimately this type of cooking started 200 years ago. "Traditionally,
these meals were prepared on a small grill by families, now it has
developed into a highly refined and beautiful form of expression,
characterized by an intricate combination of presentation and knife
skills." The article goes on to explain the cooking style and what
types of foods you can expect to see during a meal.
http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/mp/2003/03/17/stories/2003031700530200.htm
In an excerpt from a past issue of ?Nipponia,? an online ?magazine?
about life in Japan, it discusses the ancient Japanese custom of
eating out of a communal pot while the food is cooking. There are
actually other dishes, like shabu-shabu and sukiyaki, that involve
preparing food as you are eating it.
http://members.tripod.com/runker_room/tiestalk/steakhse.htm
Here is a short explanation of teppanyaki:
http://www.thecookinginn.com/terms/termst.html#T19
Here is a short excerpt from an article discussing teppanyaki?s origins:
?When and where did it begin? According to Omaha?s Kobe Steakhouse,
the ?art of Teppanyaki cooking has been performed since the 1900s.?
Benihana declares it to have a 200 year history: ?Traditionally, these
meals were prepared on a small grill by families, however it has
developed into a highly refined and beautiful form of expression,
characterized by an intricate combination of presentation and knife
skills.??
http://www.metroland.net/back_issues/vol_26_no03/dining_review.html
You said that you?ve already seen the Wikipedia site, so other than
including the link I won?t comment further on that.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teppanyaki
Okay, one more Wikipedia site. This one discusses hibachi-style
cooking, a term sometimes used in the U.S. to mean teppanyaki.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hibachi
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TEPPANYAKI RESTAURANT
Misono Restaurant in Kyoto claims to have invented teppanyaki cooking
in its current form in 1945. A number of sites cite Misono?s ?claims,?
but I could not find a single source that authoritatively stated that
it is the one ?originator? of the teppanyaki-style restaurant.
Here is Misono?s site. It is all in Japanese, but you can clearly see
their claim to being the ?originator.?
http://www.misono.org/home.htm
Here is an excerpt from the Frommer?s guide about Misono Restaurant:
http://www.frommers.com/destinations/kyoto/D38790.html
Directions to the restaurant and other info can be found on this
restaurant listing page:
http://bento.com/kansai/ka-kyshijo.html
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TEPPANYAKI IN THE UNITED STATES
Benihana is by far the most recognizable teppanyaki-style restaurant
in the United States, and possibly the world. Its founder, Yunosuke
?Rocky? Aoki came to the U.S. in the late 1950s, searching for
opportunities for success. He had run a full-service restaurant in
Tokyo with some success. He had a theatrical background and felt that
entertaining diners would pay big dividends. It was out of these
thoughts that he conceptualized Benihana as it exists today. I haven?t
found any indication that he borrowed this idea from Misono?s
restaurant. It seems that he conceptualized it himself. In 1964, he
opened the first Benihana restaurant in New York City. Interestingly,
he started with four tables and few customers, but six months after
opening his doors, a favorable restaurant review sent diners to
Benihana in droves and it grew from there. For a more detailed history
see this site:
http://www.benihana.com/benihana_history.asp
To get an idea of what types of foods are served, see their menu at:
http://www.benihana.com/menus.asp
Rocky Aoki is an interesting individual with varied hobbies. See a
?timeline? about his life here:
http://www.benihana.com/timeline.asp
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Top Secret Recipes is a site that clones recipes from famous
restaurants. You can get two free Benihana recipes here:
http://www.topsecretrecipes.com/recipes.asp
Here is a recipe for beef teppanyaki:
http://www.winetalker.com/article_293.asp
Here is a page with a number of pictures of Japanese cuisine. My
husband (who lived in Japan for 2 years) says that he frequented a
?yakiniku? (or ?do-it-yourself? teppanyaki restaurant) and it did seem
to be a great place for students to eat.
http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/spn/kyoto/gourmet/01.html
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So, there it is! What a delicious question! I was amazed at how many
teppanyaki restaurants there are around the world. If you search for
?teppanyaki restaurant? you will be treated to literally hundreds of
them. Take your pick! I hope you?ve found this information to be
useful. If you have need of clarification please let me know I can
help. And in the meantime, like they say in Japan: Itadakimasu! (Bon
Apetit!)
Sincerely,
Boquinha-ga
Search terms:
history teppanyaki
origin teppanyaki
Rocky Aoki
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