🍱 Yakitori
Higashimatsuyama City, where many restaurants around Higashimatsuyama Station display their yakitori (grilled chicken) brands, is called one of the seven largest "yakitori" cities in Japan, along with Bibai City and Muroran City in Hokkaido, Fukushima City in Fukushima Prefecture, Imabari City in Ehime Prefecture, Nagato City in Yamaguchi Prefecture, and Kurume City in Fukuoka Prefecture. Yakitori in Higashimatsuyama City is characterized by the use of kashira, the meat from the temple to the cheek of the pig, instead of the more common chicken meat. In the past, kashira meat was not used much as a meat, and was often used as an ingredient in processed foods. Later, it became a food source for the employees of a large local factory. The yakitori skewers are grilled slowly over charcoal with alternating kashira and leeks, and is served with a salty flavor, but the key to its flavor is the miso sauce, which is added according to the customer's preference. The flavor of the miso sauce differs from restaurant to restaurant, and it is the key to the individuality of each restaurant.