After 13 years off the air, “Iron Chef” in Japan – the one that started it all – is back.

Competitive cooking has become its own reality TV genre, with shows like “Top Chef” and “MasterChef” attracting huge followings world-wide. But these shows would arguably not exist but for the influence of the original “Iron Chef,” which aired in Japan from 1993 to 1999. The cooking competition was a hit domestically under the name “Ryori no Tetsujin,” and dubbed versions in English were released in Western countries as “Iron Chef,” earning the show a cult following overseas that has persisted long after its original Japanese run.

Around the Table is Adam Liaw's column for Scene on Asian food and culture.

Adam is a cook, author, television presenter and winner of MasterChef Australia 2010. He has lived, worked and eaten around the world, including Australia, Malaysia, China, India and most recently, spent seven years in Tokyo, Japan. He is perpetually hungry.

Follow him on Twitter @AdamLiaw