Breaded, skewered with a bamboo stick and deep-fried, the delectable bite-sized pieces of various fish and seafood, pork, chicken, beef, and even horse meat or fresh vegetables are collectively called kushiage, also kushikatsu, and originate from Osaka, a city aptly nicknamed the kitchen of Japan.
Kushiage first appeared in the 1920s in Shinsekai, but today, these incredibly popular fried skewers can be enjoyed anywhere from numerous street food stands to kushiage-specialized restaurants that offer a truly unique Japanese dining experience.
These most commonly include the classic kushiage brown sauce, ponzu or soy sauce mixed with vinegar or citrus juice, ichimi or chili salt, sesame sauce, and Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise made with apple cider or rice vinegar. Kushiage menus change according to what’s in season, often featuring a countless assortment of varieties and combinations such as shrimps with shiso basil, crab claws, salmon and cheese, shiitake mushrooms, whole garlic cloves, rice cakes, okra, quail eggs, bacon-wrapped asparagus, lotus root, sea tangle with herring roe, monkfish liver, etc.