Japanese restaurant shocked by sauce bottle that hasn't been washed in 60 years

The famous Abe-chan grilled pork skewer restaurant in Tokyo has caused controversy after revealing that it often dips its meat in a 60-year-old sauce that has never been washed.

Abe-chan is a popular pork skewer restaurant in Tokyo’s Azabu Juban shopping district. During a recent appearance on a popular Japanese television show, the restaurant revealed that the secret to its success is a large jar. Inside the jar is a thick, dark sauce that is brushed onto the pork skewers to add extra flavor.

The jar containing the sauce (black) is placed right next to the grill. Photo: Tokyo belly — The jar containing the sauce (black) is placed right next to the grill. Photo: *Tokyo belly*

The restaurant owner said the jar had never been cleaned in six decades, which gave the sauce its rich flavor. The edges of the jar were covered in hard, dark brown clumps. These were the sauce that had spilled over, hardened, and stuck to the sides of the jar over the years.

Instead of cleaning and scrubbing the sauce jars every day, the staff simply pours in fresh sauce. The owner claims that this only “enhances the aroma” of the jar. The large jar with sauce clinging to its sides may not be an appetizing or pretty sight. But to the owner, it is a “precious treasure” and is displayed right next to the grill.

Japanese restaurant shocked by sauce bottle that hasn't been washed in 60 years — Image of the restaurant's barbecue sauce jar. Video : *YouTube*

Abe-chan has been open since 1933. The current owner is the grandson of the original owner. The sauce bottle has been there since the shop opened. The tradition of adding sauce and not washing the bottle has been respected and followed by three generations of owners. The current owner believes that this tradition contributes to the success of the business.

Experts expressed concerns about the potential hygiene risks of storing sauce in a jar that had not been cleaned for more than half a century, which could lead to the risk of the bottle becoming a breeding ground for bacteria. In addition, to clarify whether a 60-year-old jar of sauce actually contained the original flavor of the sauce, the program conducted an experiment. In which clean water was added repeatedly to a container filled with black water. After 365 additions, the original components of the black water were almost completely gone. This led to the conclusion that the sauce jar had only been unwashed for 60 years, while the sauce made 60 years ago did not exist.

The restaurant’s revelation has caused much controversy among the public. Many diners are concerned about food safety issues. Others say they used to be regulars at the restaurant, have been eating there for many years and have never had any problems. To date, the restaurant has yet to comment on the issue.

Abe-chan is not the first restaurant to have such a strange secret. Another Japanese restaurant is famous for using a pot of broth that has been simmering for 65 years. The broth at Wattana Panich, a hot pot and stew restaurant in Thailand, is also cooked in a pot that has not been cleaned for 45 years. These restaurants are still very popular today.