Next Stop: Japan (Part 2: Teppanyaki)

Teppanyaki is a type of Japanese cuisine that uses an iron griddle to cook food. The word "teppanyaki" is derived from teppan, which means iron plate, and yaki, which means grilled.

Typical ingredients used for teppanyaki are beef, shrimp, scallops, lobster, chicken and assorted vegetables. Soybean oil is typically used to cook the ingredients.

In Japan, many teppanyaki restaurants feature Kobe beef, or Wagyu beef. Wagyu ("Japanese Cattle") are renowned for flavor, tenderness, and fatty well-marbled texture, qualities enhanced by the traditional (and well guarded) methods of raising Kobe beef. Tajima-ushi cattle reportedly receive regular massages with Japanese rice wine and are fed hops.

Another popular dish served at a teppanyaki restaurant is okonomiyaki. Okonomi means "what you like" or "what you want", and yaki means "grilled" or "cooked"; thus, the name of this dish means "cook what you like, the way you like". Side dishes of mung bean sprouts, zucchini, garlic chips or fried rice usually accompany the meal. Some restaurants provide sauces in which to dip the food; usually, in Japan, only soy sauce is offered.

Teppanyaki is not a traditional Japanese cooking style. The originator of teppanyaki-style cooking is the Misono restaurant chain in Japan; they introduced teppanyaki in 1945. In the United States, teppanyaki was made famous by the Benihana restaurant chain which opened its first restaurant in New York in 1964. It differs from the traditional Japanese teppanyaki in that the chef also performs a small show for the customers. The show can range from juggling utensils, flipping a shrimp into his shirt pocket, tossing an egg up in the air and splitting it with his knife to a flaming onion volcano.

For more information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teppanyaki