Kabayaki

Kabayaki is a traditional Japanese method of preparing fish, particularly eel. The process involves splitting, gutting, deboning, butterflying, and skewering the fish before dipping it in a sweet soy sauce-based marinade and grilling it to perfection. While eel is the most commonly used fish, other varieties such as pike conger, loach, catfish, conger eel, and gunnels can also be prepared this way. Kabayaki eel is a popular dish, rich in vitamins A and E and omega-3 fatty acids. It is especially popular in the summer, particularly on a specific mid-summer day known as Doyō-no Ushi-no-Hi.

There are two primary styles of kabayaki cooking: Kantō and Kansai. In the Kantō region, the eel is butterflied, grilled, steamed, flavored, and then grilled again, resulting in a tender and delicate texture. Conversely, the Kansai region omits the steaming step and grills the eel as is, often keeping it at its original length. This style is known as nagayaki. To tenderize the tougher skin, Kansai-style eel might be placed between layers of hot rice.

The origin of the name "kabayaki" has several theories. One theory suggests that it was named after the cattail plant because the grilled eel resembles the plant's flower spikes. Another theory posits that the charred skin side of the eel looks like beech bark. Food historian Tekishū Motoyama proposed that the name might derive from the way the whole eel was originally skewered vertically, resembling a cattail in both form and color. Another theory points to the word "kōbashī" meaning fragrant, as the source of the name.