Karaage
/ˌkɑː.rəˈɑː.ɡeɪ/noun
A Japanese cooking technique, especially for chicken, in which food is lightly coated and deep-fried.
Did you know?Karaage is commonly written 唐揚げ, using 唐—‘Tang’—as an old Japanese marker for things associated with China, although 空揚げ, ‘empty frying,’ is also historically attested.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient China
Chinese
唐
“Tang; the name of the Tang dynasty, later used in Japan to signify China or Chinese-style things”
Classical Japanese
Japanese
から
“kara; Chinese or foreign-style, from the use of 唐”
Early Modern Japanese
Japanese
唐揚げ
“Chinese-style frying; 唐 refers to China and 揚げ means frying or raising in hot oil”
20th Century
Japanese
からあげ / 空揚げ
“karaage; fried food, with both the ‘Chinese-style’ and ‘empty frying’ spellings appearing”
Modern English
English
karaage
“Japanese-style fried food, especially bite-sized fried chicken”
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