page_title: Yakiniku
section_title: Etymology
hierarchical_section_title: Yakiniku / History / Etymology
caption_attribution_description: proposed western-style lunch and dinner menus in ja:西洋料理指南 (Seiyō Ryōri Shinan), 1872, P28.
context_page_description: Yakiniku, meaning "grilled meat", is a Japanese term that, in its broadest sense, refers to grilled meat cuisine. "Yakiniku" originally referred to western "barbecue" food, the term being popularized by Japanese writer Kanagaki Robun in his Seiyo Ryoritsu in 1872. The term later became associated with Korean-derived cuisine during the early Shōwa period. Due to the Korean War, the terms associated with Korea in Japan were divided into North Korea and South Korea; the reference to a "yakiniku restaurant" arose as a politically correct term for restaurants of either origin.
  Today, "yakiniku" commonly refers to a style of cooking bite-size meat and vegetables on gridirons or griddles over a flame of wood charcoals carbonized by dry distillation or a gas/electric grill, making it one of the most popular national dishes of Japan. In many parts of the world, yakiniku is also commonly referred to as "Japanese barbecue". The origin of contemporary yakiniku has become a subject of debate, though it is conventionally considered to have been inspired by similar Korean cuisine.
context_section_description: After officially being prohibited for many years, eating beef was legalised in 1871 following the Meiji Restoration as part of an effort to introduce western culture to the country. The Emperor Meiji became part of a campaign to promote beef consumption, publicly eating beef on January 24, 1873. Steak and roasted meat were translated as yakiniku (焼肉) and iriniku (焙肉), respectively, as proposed western-style menus in Seiyō Ryōri Shinan although this usage of the former word was eventually replaced by the loanword sutēki.
  Jingisukan, the Japanese transliteration of Genghis Khan, is a style of grilling mutton, which is also referred to as a type of yakiniku. The dish was conceived in Hokkaidō, where it has been a popular blue-collar dish that has only recently gained nationwide popularity. The name Jingisukan is thought to have been invented by Sapporo-born Tokuzo Komai, who was inspired by the grilled mutton dishes of Northeastern Chinese cuisine. The first written mention of the dish under this name was in 1931.
caption: Proposed western-style menus in Seiyō Ryōri Shinan (1872) recommending a cold meat dish for breakfast, yakiniku for lunch, and a simmered meat or yakiniku dish with a roasted meat dish for dinner.
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