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Unagi (eel) has been consumed in Japan since the 17th century. Unagi is rich in protein, calcium, vitamin A and E, and it's said to give people stamina. For this reason, unagi are eaten the most during the hottest time of the year. It's a Japanese custom to eat unagi on "doyo no ushinohi" in the summer. Doyo is related to an idea for seasons based on a Chinese philosophy called gogyo. The end of each season is called doyo period in this idea, and there are four doyo periods per year. It's defined by ecliptic longitudes of the Sun, so the dates slightly change every year. Ushinohi is the day of the cow, and there can be one or two ushinohi during a doyo period.
A common unagi dish is unagi-no-kabayaki (grilled eel). Prepared unagi meat (the main bone is removed) is skewered and grilled with sweet basting sauce (kabayaki sauce). It's similar to teriyaki. Prepackaged grilled unagi is available at Asian stores.
The way of cooking unagi-no-kabayaki is slightly different between the eastern Japan and the western Japan. In the eastern Japan, unagi is steamed after it is grilled, then it's grilled again. In the western part of Japan, unagi isn't steamed before grilling. So, unagi-no-kabayaki in the eastern Japan tends to be softer than that of the western Japan. Grilled unagi without basting sauce is called shira-yaki since it's white. Shira indicates the color of white in Japanese.
When unagi is grilled over charcoals, the fat from unagi drips and burns, causing smoke. The smoke adds a great flavor to unagi. The smell coming from unagi restaurants invite many customers in Japan.
Unagi-no-kabayaki served on steamed rice is called either una-juu or una-don (unagi rice bowl). Clear soup (suimono) made from unagi liver is called kimo-sui and is served on the side.
