1:18in productionCh. 1 · What the dish is and where it came from/ 1:18 · ceiling 15 min
Technique · Food history
Teriyaki
A Japanese grilling technique using a soy-mirin-sugar glaze, historically rooted in the Edo period and later adapted in Seattle.
Teriyaki is a Japanese cooking technique involving grilling or broiling foods with a glaze of soy sauce, mirin, and sugar. It emerged during the Edo period in Japan, believed to have evolved in the 1600s.
Teriyaki is a Japanese cooking technique involving grilling or broiling foods with a glaze of soy sauce, mirin, and sugar.
0:14
How it works, in terms someone would actually use
The method involves marinating meat in a tare sauce—boiled and reduced from soy sauce, sake or mirin, and sugar—then grilling or broiling it while brushing or dipping it in the sauce during cooking.
0:27
What it gets right
It gets right a glossy, savory-sweet finish: the sugar in the tare creates teri (shine), while yaki (grilling) delivers direct heat.
0:40
What it does not
The sweetened soy glaze may be less appealing if you prefer grilled food with no sweet sauce.
0:47
What it changed
It changed by taking root outside Japan: a distinct teriyaki culture formed in Seattle in the 1990s, beginning with Toshi's Teriyaki—the first standalone teriyaki restaurant—opened there in 1976.
0:58
Who it is for, and who it is not
It suits someone interested in a savory-sweet glaze for grilled or broiled food.
1:08
Is it worth your time
It is worth your time if you enjoy grilled proteins with a balanced umami-sweet finish and appreciate dishes with documented historical roots and cross-cultural adaptation.
Worth your time?
Selectively. Start with the brief, then cook the parts we point at.
What works
It gets right a glossy, savory-sweet finish: the sugar in the tare creates teri (shine), while yaki (grilling) delivers direct heat. The combination yields visual appeal and layered flavor from the glaze.
What does not
The sweetened soy glaze may be less appealing if you prefer grilled food with no sweet sauce.
Cook it if
Skip it if
The written brief1 min read
What the dish is and where it came from
Teriyaki is a Japanese cooking technique involving grilling or broiling foods with a glaze of soy sauce, mirin, and sugar. It emerged during the Edo period in Japan, believed to have evolved in the 1600s.
How it works, in terms someone would actually use
The method involves marinating meat in a tare sauce—boiled and reduced from soy sauce, sake or mirin, and sugar—then grilling or broiling it while brushing or dipping it in the sauce during cooking.
What it gets right
It gets right a glossy, savory-sweet finish: the sugar in the tare creates teri (shine), while yaki (grilling) delivers direct heat. The combination yields visual appeal and layered flavor from the glaze.
What it does not
The sweetened soy glaze may be less appealing if you prefer grilled food with no sweet sauce.
What it changed
It changed by taking root outside Japan: a distinct teriyaki culture formed in Seattle in the 1990s, beginning with Toshi’s Teriyaki—the first standalone teriyaki restaurant—opened there in 1976.
Who it is for, and who it is not
It suits someone interested in a savory-sweet glaze for grilled or broiled food. Soy sauce and sugar are central to the version described here.
Is it worth your time
It is worth your time if you enjoy grilled proteins with a balanced umami-sweet finish and appreciate dishes with documented historical roots and cross-cultural adaptation.