The Modern Hibachi Restaurant Was Shaped By An Ancient Prototype

Ramen, sushi, tempura ... Japanese culture has given the world an incredible variety of cuisines, including one many Americans know as hibachi. Popular for the showmanship of chefs who grill food with fiery flareups and morsel-tossing theatrics, this style of cooking is technically called teppanyaki, though it's often confused with hibachi. In fact, the hibachi is much older, with roots dating all the way back to the Heian era, which began in 794 AD. 

In those days, the hibachi was an indoor fire bowl that people filled with burning charcoal to warm their rooms and heat water for tea. By the 1600s, people in the Samurai class were also using it to grill food, enjoying the way the high heat seared each ingredient to preserve its flavor. 300 years later, hibachis got another update when their clay pots were replaced with cast iron or metal bowls that were better at retaining heat and helped cook food more evenly.  

Traditional hibachis are still used to grill food and prepare tea for special occasions and festivals. However, U.S. restaurants typically feature the teppanyaki style of cooking instead, which uses a flat iron grill instead of a bowl. First introduced in Japan in 1945, teppanyaki caught on with international visitors and spread to the States in the 1960s, where it was marketed as "hibachi." By using exciting cooking techniques and simple, fresh ingredients that Americans recognized, these restaurants brought Japanese cooking to the mainstream.

What else has changed since this cuisine crossed the Pacific? One thing is the portions. Japanese people typically eat smaller meals while American hibachi establishments are likely to serve you more. In todays' restaurants, it's also popular to cook food on skewers and to serve it with yum-yum sauce, a spicy, creamy blend created by American chefs. What's more, the dinner theater aspect of cooking continues to evolve, with chefs turning meals into spectacles of juggling, pyrotechnics, and target practice. All of this makes U.S. hibachi restaurants more removed from their traditional namesake, but they're undeniably fun.