teppanyaki

Where does the word "teppanyaki" come from? It comes from Japanese teppanyaki, and was adopted directly into English (1960s).

Teppanyaki’s story begins in Japanese: teppanyaki meant “food grilled on a hot iron plate.” Literally 'iron-plate grilling', coined for food cooked on a flat iron griddle. It reached English by 1960s as teppanyaki. Popularized in the US by theatrical tableside-grill restaurants like Benihana. Today, teppanyaki means a Japanese cooking style using a flat iron griddle, often performed as tableside theater.

1. Stage 1 · Japanese · 1940s-1950s teppanyaki "food grilled on a hot iron plate", literally 'iron-plate grilling', coined for food cooked on a flat iron griddle.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1960s teppanyaki "a style of Japanese cooking on a flat iron griddle, often performed tableside", popularized in the US by theatrical tableside-grill restaurants like Benihana.