Dictionary Definition
hibachi n : a portable brazier that burns
charcoal and has a grill for cooking v : cook over a hibachi
grill
User Contributed Dictionary
Extensive Definition
- For the boss from the DoDonPachi series, see Hibachi (DoDonPachi).
The hibachi (Japanese:
火鉢, literally "fire bowl") is a traditional Japanese heating
device. It consists of a round, cylindrical or a box-shaped
open-topped container, made from or lined with a heatproof material
and designed to hold burning charcoal.
In North
America, the term "hibachi" is used to refer to a small cooking
stove heated by charcoal (actually called shichirin in Japanese), or to
an iron hot plate (teppan) used in Teppanyaki
restaurants.
History
Although the word is Japanese and the device is
strongly associated with Japan, the hibachi originated in China as a type of
portable charcoal brazier used to heat the homes
of the nobility. It is not known when the hibachi was first used in
Japan; however written records suggest that it was used by the
Heian
period (798-1185AD). Owing to the low availability of metal in
China and Japan, early hibachis were made from dug-out cypress wood
lined with clay. However, craftsmen soon began to make more
decorative versions with lacquered finishes, gold leaf, and
other artistic embellishments. Stronger materials such as metal and
ceramics became popular over time. Traditional hibachis can be very
attractive objects in themselves and are today sometimes sold as
antiques. They were
originally used mainly by the samurai classes and aristocrats but
gradually spread among ordinary people. Their design developed
throughout the Edo period. It
is a flat surface of heat, to be more specific.
For most of its history the hibachi was used for
heating, but it has been put to many uses; for example, as a
cigarette
lighter and portable stove for Japanese troops during World War
II.
The hibachi was once a common sight in Japan
before the Second World War (and was often seen in waiting rooms at
train stations), but it became a rarity and was gradually replaced
by the oil heaters now commonplace in Japan. (Central heating is
relatively rare in Japanese homes.)
The use of the word Hibachi in the English language
The traditional Japanese hibachi is a heating
device and not usually used for cooking. In English, however,
"hibachi" often refers to small cooking grills typically made of
aluminium or cast iron, with
the latter generally being of higher quality. Owing to their small
size, hibachi grills are popular as a form of portable barbecue. They resemble
traditional, Japanese, charcoal-heated cooking utensils called
shichirin. It has been
suggested that these grills were confusingly marketed as "hibachi"
when they were introduced to North America because that word was
easier than "shichirin" for English speakers to pronounce. click
here to listen to the pronunciation of "shichirin"
Alternatively, "hibachi-style" is a North
American term for Japanese teppanyaki cooking, in which
gas-heated hotplates are integrated into tables around which many
people (often multiple parties) can sit and eat at once. The chef
performs the cooking in front of the diners, typically with
theatrical flair -- flipping shrimp tails into his hat, for
example, or lighting a volcano of onions on fire with his fingers.
The popular Japanese restaurant chain Benihana
uses hibachi grill cooking as its trademark.
Gilbert Arenas makes "hibachi" a neologism
During the 2006-2007
National Basketball Association season, Washington
Wizards point guard Gilbert
Arenas began to shout the word as he took field goal attempts
in games, explaining, "You know, a hibachi grill gets real hot.
That's what my shot's like, so I've been calling it that: 'Welcome
to the hibachi'." He has also stated that while he is scoring on
opponents, he is "cooking chicken and shrimp" in reference to his
"Hibachi grill," and that if his opponent wanted to double team
him, he would "cook filet
mignon" as well. "The Hibachi" has quickly become Arenas'
nickname.
There was even a banner made for him. "Arenas
'hibachied' Kobe", a play on words as "Kobe" could mean either
Kobe
Bryant or the famous Japanese Kobe beef. This
was referring to the game when Arenas outscored Kobe Bryant
60 to 45.
References
See also
External links
hibachi in Japanese: 火鉢