J-Word Play: October ’11

みんな好きな肉料理ってなんでしょうか？

(みんなすきなにくりょうりってなんでしょうか？)

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Answer: すきやき (Sukiyaki)

The riddle asks, “What’s the meat dish that everyone likes?” 鋤焼き (Sukiyaki) is a traditional Japanese dish combining the words for “spade” (as in for gardening) and “cook.” It seems that this name originated from the Edo period practice of cooking fish or tofu (or meat if it was available, I suppose) on the metal part of a spade instead of in a pot.

Though 「すき」means “spade” in this case, it can also mean “to like.” Hence it’s the meat dish that everyone likes.