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A hibachi is a portable grill in the West, but in Japan it is a traditional heater. The word comes from “fire bowl” and was originally made of clay-coated wood. Hibachis are used for cooking and heating, and are an important part of Japanese cuisine.
In the West, a hibachi is a small portable grill inspired by the Japanese shichirin. In Japanese, a hibachi is actually a form of heater, traditionally used in the winter to warm up a room. Like many borrowed concepts and words, ibachi evolved as it spread across the Pacific Ocean. This can be confusing for people who straddle Japan and the West, as the term is used differently. In both senses, the etymology is the same, as hi means “fire” in Japanese, while a bachi is a bowl, thus a hibachi is a bowl that contains fire, or “fire bowl.”
In the original Japanese sense, ibachi was used by members of the upper and middle classes during the often bitter Japanese winters during the twentieth century. The concept of the large charcoal stove was imported from China at some point in Japanese history, probably around AD 1000. The earliest hibachi were made of clay-coated wood, while more complex and decorative hibachi began to appear with fancy ornamentation, lacquer and gold leaf. In addition to heating a room, a traditional hibachi could be used to keep a teapot or plate of food warm.
In the sense of a grill, a hibachi is a small, open grill made by placing a sturdy rack over a container that may be oval, square, or rectangular. The container is used to hold charcoal for cooking, just like the bowl of a standard size grill. To be called a true hibachi, the grill must be at least seemingly portable, and small grills are often often taken on camping trips for use as outdoor stoves. Hibachis don’t have lids and can be used to grill a wide variety of foods, from vegetable kebabs to cuts of chicken and fish.
The construction materials used for hibachi vary. High quality stoves will be made from cast iron, making them sturdy, though much less portable. Cheaper versions of tin and steel are also available, although they are less durable. In both cases, the traditional fuel is coal, although some hibachis are gas-fired for convenience.
Many restaurants use hibachis for searing or finishing food, since they’re small enough to use without posing a danger to diners, and many diners like to watch their food being cooked. Japanese restaurants in the United States may refer to their shichirin as hibachi, to avoid confusion. Whatever you call them, small grilled stoves play an important role in Japanese cuisine, which places a strong focus on fresh, perfectly cooked ingredients.
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