Image: Wikimedia Commons
Nagoya tebasaki (fried chicken wing tips) is an izakaya dish in which chicken wing tips are fried twice until crisp, then finished with a sweet-savory sauce and condiments such as pepper and sesame. Furaibo, founded in 1963 in Atsuta Ward, Nagoya City, began serving fried wing tips coated in the sauce used for its signature whole roasted chicken, 'Tarzan-yaki,' and the dish proved so popular that it became the restaurant's own signature item. Later, Sekai no Yamachan gained popularity with its own distinctively spiced wing tips, and these two chains led the spread of Nagoya's tebasaki culture nationwide as a representative izakaya dish. Its appeal lies in eating the wings by hand, bone in, along with each restaurant's own character, whether a sweet-savory sauce or a spicy style, making it a classic accompaniment to beer.
Origin
It is said to have originated when Kengo Otsubo, founder of Furaibo in Atsuta Ward, Nagoya City, served fried chicken wing tips coated in the sauce used for the restaurant's signature whole roasted chicken, 'Tarzan-yaki.' The dish proved so popular that it grew into the restaurant's own signature menu item.
History
Furaibo was founded in 1963, and fried chicken wing tips later became a formal menu item and the restaurant's signature dish. Shigeo Yamamoto, who had worked near Furaibo, subsequently went independent and founded Sekai no Yamachan, which gained popularity with its own distinctively spiced wing tips. Centered on these two major chains, Nagoya's tebasaki culture spread nationwide.
Features
The wing tips are deep-fried twice in oil to make the skin crisp, then coated in a sweet-savory sauce and sprinkled with pepper, sesame, or a special house spice blend. They are eaten boldly by hand, bone in, and each restaurant has its own character in the sweetness of the sauce and the intensity of the spices.
Main Ingredients
Food Culture
Fried chicken wing tips are a relatively new addition to Nagoya meshi, born from Nagoya's izakaya culture, and have become firmly established as a favorite accompaniment to beer. Today they are also sold as ekiben (train station bento) and souvenirs, making them one of Nagoya's leading take-home food items.
Famous Shops
風来坊 栄店
愛知県名古屋市中区栄4丁目5番8号
The originator of fried chicken wing tips. Five pieces of fried wing tips cost around 600 yen and up.
View details →世界の山ちゃん 本店
愛知県名古屋市中区栄4丁目9番6号
Famous for its spicy wing tips. The 'Phantom Wings' (Maboroshi no Tebasaki) cost around 660 yen (tax included) for five pieces.
View details →FAQ
Q. Since when has fried chicken wing tips been known as a Nagoya specialty?
A. After Furaibo invented the dish in the 1960s, its recognition spread through the expansion of chains such as Sekai no Yamachan, and from the Heisei era onward it became firmly established as one of the leading dishes of Nagoya meshi.