Teppanyaki

Teppanyaki is a Japanese technique of grilling a variety of ingredients on an iron plate. Its name is derived from two words: teppan or an iron plate, and yaki, meaning grilled or broiled. Teppanyaki refers to a variety of dishes cooked in the aforementioned way.

Steaks, seafood, chopped vegetables, rice, and dough-based foods such as yakisoba fried noodles are some of the most popular types of teppanyaki. In Western restaurants, the iron plate is often placed in front of the customers so they can watch the chefs work.

In traditional Japanese restaurants, each table will usually have an iron plate so the food can stay warm as it continues to cook lightly. Although the history of teppanyaki is somewhat murky, some oral traditions trace it back to family dining in feudal Japan, when people would gather around the central fire and prepare simple grilled dishes.

Others trace it back to the early 20th-century Kobe, where fishmongers used to grill the catch of the day in front of the customers. The first modern teppanyaki restaurant in Japan is called Misono, and it was opened in Kobe in 1945, while the first American teppanyaki restauarant was opened in Manhattan in 1964 by a young Japanese wrestler, and it quickly captivated New Yorkers before it spread to the rest of the country.