is a formal term that encompasses both poultry and non-poultry items, skewered and grilled. At times, restaurants group them as and yakimono ().
Both yakitori and kushiyaki are used interchangeably in Japanese society to refer to skewered meat collectively; however, when referring to a specific item, yakitori will not be used unless the primary meat is chicken. While using pork, grilled pork on skewers are cooked with the same sauce as yakitori, and that is why in some areas as Muroran, grilled pork on skewers are called "yakitori", instead of .
While kabayaki is also skewered and grilled over charcoal, it is rarely categorized as kushiyaki since they are not served on skewers. Fish grilled whole on skewers with salt and served after pulling off the skewer including sea bream (tai) and sweetfish (ayu) is not called kushiyaki but shioyaki ("grilled with salt") at high-end restaurants. At food stalls or yatai, ayu is sold on skewers.
In order to facilitate even cooking, the ingredient is cut into small, roughly uniform shapes. Skewers or kushi are made with bamboo or Japanese cypress, and shape as well as length varies to use for the type of food: flat skewers are used for minced meat, for example.
Kushiyaki seasonings are primarily divided among two types: salty or salty-sweet. The salty type usually uses plain salt as its main seasoning. For the salty-sweet variety, tare, a special sauce consisting of mirin, sake, soy sauce, and sugar is used. Other common spices include powdered cayenne pepper, shichimi, Japanese pepper, black pepper, karashi, beni shà Âga miso, yuzu kosho, and wasabi, according to one's tastes.
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