Karaage (pronounced "kala-agué") has such a status in the archipelago that the competition, which is already in its 14th edition, had to change its formula this year after accusations of fraud and set up a jury of professionals at the request of participating restaurants, specialty stalls and bars.

The winners were previously chosen by the public who voted on the internet, but rumors were circulating about participants creating a multitude of e-mail addresses to skew the result.

If Korean fried chicken has been a worldwide craze in recent years, karaage is king in Japan, where the word refers to a technique of marinating chicken (but also other meats, fish or even vegetables) and coating it with flour and starch before frying it.

The jury of the Grand Prix, which this week presented its awards in various categories (karaage flavored with soy sauce, salt ...) during a ceremony, was mainly made up of professionals from the food industry.

They met several times across the country, tasting about 25 kinds of karaage a day after listening to a short presentation from each cook, and chewing pieces of pineapple in the meantime to aid digestion.

Karaage "makes you travel"

"I've been eating karaage every day for more than ten years," said Iku Arino, a member of the jury, estimating that she had tasted chicken from "3,300 establishments". "I never get tired of it," she says.

Jury president Koichiro Yagi, however, told AFP he wanted to fine-tune the system in the future, as each judge had to eat about a kilo of chicken each session this year.

To increase their chances, some restaurateurs have gone so far as to tour the establishments of the small town of Nakatsu, on the island of Kyushu (southwest Japan), which has the reputation of producing the best karaage in Japan, and whose several restaurants have already been awarded in the competition.

"There are a lot of chicken stalls in Nakatsu and we've tried them all," says Matsumoto, whose karaage has been recognized at the Grand Prix for the past three years.

Beyond Nakatsu, "if we heard that a restaurant was good, we went there and studied it to find the best," he adds.

To identify good karaage, Chief Justice Koichiro Yagi said he was looking for a piece of chicken that "tells a story."

Chief judge Koichiro Yagi enjoys karaage during a competition in Tokyo, March 4, 2023 © Philip FONG / AFP

"The initial flavor attracts you by its aroma and then its taste, but the real pleasure of karaage is that it makes you travel," detailed the judge, dressed in a traditional coat stamped with the slogan "karaage changes the world".

According to him, however, there is no magic recipe for cooking good karaage. "It changes depending on the situation you eat it in," he said.

"It also depends on who you're with when you eat it, and how you eat it." "What makes a perfect +karaage+? It's a difficult question," he said.

© 2023 AFP