🥩 Imabari Yakitori (grilled chicken)

"Imabari Yakitori" is a type of yakitori in which the un-skewered skin is lightly grilled on a griddle and pressed with a small plate of iron weight, invented about 50 years ago. The fact that the chicken skin is grilled on a thick iron plate and not skewered is a unique Imabari cooking method. By grilling on a Teppan(iron griddle), the fat from the chicken is used to fry it, and the pressing steams it, allowing it to be cooked quickly and served faster. Because Imabari is known for its business people, who are impatient and do not like to wait, this style of cooking quickly on a Teppan was popular and matched the temperament of the people of Imabari. Because of its popularity, there used to be more than 100 Teppan Yakitori restaurants. The most typical Imabari Yakitori menu item is the skin, which is eaten first, followed by fried chicken called "Senzanki" at the end of the meal. This is the most common and mainstream way of eating Imabari Yakitori. The Teppan is set at a slight angle to remove excess fat when grilling the skin, so that the flavor of the skin is preserved and the taste is light and refreshing.