is a post-World War II style
are typically propane-heated and flat-surfaced, and they are often used to cook food in front of guests at restaurants. In the USA, they are commonly called ''hibachi'' though that refers to a type of [[grill in Japan|hibachi]], including a in Japanese, which has a charcoal or gas flame and is made with an open grate design. With a solid griddle-type cook surface, the is capable of cooking small or semisolid ingredients such as rice, egg and finely chopped vegetables.
Origin
The originator of the -style steakhouse is believed to be Shigeji Fujioka of the Japanese restaurant chain Misono.
The restaurant claims to be the first to introduce the concept of cooking Western-influenced food on a in Japan, in 1945.
They soon found the cuisine was less popular with the Japanese than it was with foreigners, who enjoyed both watching the skilled maneuvers of the chefs preparing the food and the cuisine itself, which is somewhat more familiar than more traditional Japanese dishes. As the restaurants became more popular with tourists, the chain increased the performance aspect of the chef's preparation, such as stacking onion slices to produce a flaming onion volcano.
Another piece of equipment in the same family is a flattop grill, consisting of a flat piece of steel over circular burners and typically smaller and round, like a Mongolian barbecue.
Ingredients
Typical ingredients used for Western-style are beef, shrimp, scallops, lobster, chicken and assorted vegetables.
Soybean oil is typically used to cook the ingredients.
Japanese-style may also use noodles () or cabbage with sliced meat or seafood (),
Side dishes of mung bean, zucchini (courgettes) (though this is not a popular vegetable in Japan and rarely found in that market), garlic chips (crisps), or fried rice usually accompany the meal. Some restaurants provide sauces in which to dip the food. In Japan, only soy sauce is typically offered.
In the United States
In the United States, (more commonly known as )
was made famous by the
Benihana restaurant chain, which opened its first restaurant in New York City in 1964.
Benihana and other chains of restaurants continue to place an emphasis on the chef performing a show for the diners and continuing to introduce new variations and tricks. The chef might juggle utensils, flip a shrimp tail into their shirt pocket, catch an egg in their hat, toss an egg up in the air and split it with a spatula, or flip flattened shrimp pieces into diners' mouths.
Image gallery
File:KobeBeefOnGrill.jpg|alt=Kobe Beef with Garlic Chips on Japanese |Kobe beef with garlic chips
File:TeppanyakiPrawn.jpg|alt=Live Jumbo Prawn on a Japanese , a cook holding utensils can be seen standing behind it|Live jumbo prawn
See also
External links
