The Hot Pot Japan Gathers Around With a Bowl of Raw Egg

Few meals in Japan feel as communal as sukiyaki. A shallow iron pot simmers at the center of the table, thin slices of beef and vegetables cook together in a sweet savory broth, and everyone gathers around to share the pot course by course.

The dish took shape during the Meiji era, between 1868 and 1912, as Japan opened to foreign trade and beef, long limited by Buddhist dietary customs that treated cattle as working animals, became part of everyday cooking. Its name likely comes from suki, meaning spade, and yaki, meaning grilled, a nod to farmers who once cooked meat right on the blade of a field tool.

Two regional styles grew up side by side. In Kanto, the eastern style, cooks heat a mixture of sake, soy sauce, sugar, mirin and dashi first, then simmer everything together in that seasoned broth. In Kansai, the western style, the meat is seared on its own first, then sugar, sake and soy sauce are added directly, with vegetables going in last.

After the Great Kanto earthquake of 1923 closed many of Tokyo's beef restaurants, large numbers of Kanto residents moved temporarily to the Osaka area, where they grew accustomed to the Kansai way of making sukiyaki. When they returned home, they brought that style with them, and it has remained popular in Tokyo ever since.

The ritual is part of the charm. Each bite of meat or vegetable gets dipped in a small bowl of raw beaten egg before eating, which cools the hot food slightly and wraps it in a silky, mellow coating that balances the broth's sweetness. Rice usually sits alongside, ready to soak up whatever broth is left in the pot once the last ingredients are gone.

Today sukiyaki remains one of Japan's great cold-weather comfort foods, often saved for New Year gatherings, celebrations, or simply a cozy night in with family. Sitting around the pot, taking turns adding ingredients and sharing the broth, captures something warm about Japanese dining that goes well beyond the plate.