Something grilled. Grilling is probably the first use man made of fire for cooking. Yakimono can be divided into two general types: those grilled using direct heat and those grilled using indirect heat. The latter method might make use of a grill plate, a fry pan, or an earthenware vessel called a horaku. When a kaiseki menu is planned, special consideration is given to the yakimono dish. As is the case with most dishes, yakimono are best if served as soon as they are ready.
In restaurant-style kaiseki, courses are served on lacquered trays without legs and are enjoyed one at a time. The menu generally consists of a sakizuki (appetiser), a suimono (clear soup), a mukozuke (usually slices of raw fish), a kuchigawari (palette refresher), a yakimono (something grilled), a nimono (something boiled or simmered), an aizakana (something steamed or deep-fried), a sunomono (something vinegared) and a tomewan (final dish). On the simplest level a kaiseki course consists of one soup and three side dishes (rice and pickles are included but are not numbered among the dishes). Aemono are highly decorative salads designed to complement any of these courses.
