In a development that has caught the attention of many, wakatori is an award-winning fried chicken restaurant in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan that claims the secret to its success is the frying oil that has n't been changed in 66 years. After winning the gold medal at the Japan Fried Chicken Grand Prix, Wakatori's owner gave an interview in which he revealed that his chicken's unique flavor is due to a `` secret ingredient'' that has been used since the restaurant's inception in the 1960s.

Key Moments

Tracing the events that led here provides important context for what follows.

According to him, frying oil has never been completely wasted since then.

Yoshihiro Toshiya, the owner of Wakatori, said that this decades-old recycled oil is the principal reason for the delicious taste of his family's chicken.

Alongside the primary story, according to him, this `` old oil'' gives the chicken a unique aroma and a unique taste that can not be achieved with new oil.

Player Performance

With opinions divided in some quarters, the overall assessment remains significant.

The revelation sparked a new debate on social media with many saying that consuming 66-year-old oil could be dangerous to health.

Significantly, however, the restaurant explained that the oil is cleaned, filtered and partially mixed with new oil every day.

It has also emerged that every night the restaurant staff cleans off the chicken particles and grime from the oil and infuses the new oil with only a small amount of the old oil as a flavor base.This means that the same 66-year-old oil is not actually being used entirely, but rather a constantly updated mixture that may still contain some molecules of the original starting oil.

Stats and Analysis

The broader implications of this development are already coming into focus.

This method is similar to the `` sta'' or soup broth used in some restaurants where the curry or soup is continuously topped up.

As the story continues to develop, for example, Otafuku, the famous oden restaurant in Tokyo, has been using the same broth continuously for 70 years.

Significantly, similarly, in an area of ​​Bangkok, the same soup base has been running for 50 years.

Compounding the significance of these events, however, according to experts, there is a difference between frying oil and soup because repeated heating of oil can lead to the formation of harmful and possibly carcinogenic compounds such as trans fat and acrylamide.

Meanwhile, sources familiar with the matter indicate that although new oil is added daily, it is not possible to completely eliminate these harmful substances in the lengthy run.

What's Next

What this development ultimately means remains to be seen. But its significance — both in the immediate term and over the longer horizon — is already being felt by those involved and those watching from the outside.