Among various theories, one theory states that it began with the townspeople of Urawa, a post-station town in Edo, serving kabayaki to travelers; another says that because the color of the broiled eel resembles that of gama (cattail), pronunciation of the name gamayaki eventually became corrupted into kabayaki.
諸説があるが、江戸の宿場町、浦和で町人が旅人に出した説や焼き色が蒲の穂に色が似ていた為、蒲焼（がまやき）が訛って、蒲焼（かばやき）になったのが始まりとされている。