Sweet and Savory: The History of Teriyaki Chicken Teriyaki chicken with its sweet and savory sauce is popular around the world, but despite its Japanese name, this dish is not only far more common outside of Japan than it is within the country itself, it actually has its roots in the United States. The word "teriyaki" comes from two Japanese words: teri, meaning "shine," and yaki, meaning "grilled." The cooking style started during the Edo period (1603 – 1868), when fish was marinated in soy sauce, rice wine, and sugar before grilling. This mix added flavor and helped preserve the fish. However, the teriyaki sauce most people know today is different. The modern version of teriyaki is believed to have begun with Japanese immigrants in Hawaii. They added ingredients like pineapple juice and brown sugar to the original Japanese soy sauce mix, creating the sweeter flavor that's popular today. But it took a while for this new teriyaki sauce to become popular with Americans. When Kikkoman, a Japanese company, expanded to the US in the 1950s, they had a hard time selling their main product, soy sauce. At that time, most Americans didn't eat Japanese food like sushi, and it was hard to source the ingredients to cook it. So, people didn't have much use for soy sauce. But a member of the Kikkoman staff noticed that Americans loved having BBQs. This inspired the creation of a sweet teriyaki sauce, perfect for grilling chicken. This new sauce was a hit, and teriyaki chicken became one of the first Japanese-inspired dishes to succeed in the US. In Japan, although teriyaki chicken can be found at burger chains like McDonald’s, the original teriyaki cooking method is still more commonly eaten with fish. But whether enjoyed at a BBQ, in a chicken burger, or with rice, teriyaki chicken shows that delicious flavors can cross any border.