Soba
Soba are Japanese noodles made from buckwheat flour, with varying amounts of wheat flour mixed in.
It has an ashen brown color, and a slightly grainy texture. The noodles are served either chilled with a dipping sauce, or hot in a noodle soup. They are used in a wide variety of dishes.
In Japan, soba noodles can be found at fast food venues like standing-up-eating to expensive specialty restaurants. Dried soba noodles are sold in stores, along with men-tsuyu, or instant noodle broth, to make home preparation easy.
The amino acid balance of the protein in buckwheat, and therefore in soba, is well matched to the needs of humans and can complement the amino acid deficiencies of other staples such as rice and wheat. The tradition of eating soba in ordinary people arose in the Edo period.
Etymology
The word 2=蕎麦 means "buckwheat". The full name for buckwheat noodles is, but soba is commonly used for short.Historically, soba noodles were called Nihon-soba, Wa-soba, or Yamato-soba, all of which mean "Japanese soba". This was meant to distinguish soba from wheat noodles of Chinese origin, such as ramen, sōmen, or udon.
In more recent times, soba can refer to noodles in general, regardless of origin or composition. For example, ramen was traditionally called 2=中華そば or 2=支那そば, both meaning "Chinese noodles", though the word shina is now considered offensive. Soba can be used to refer to wheat noodles, as in aburasoba or yakisoba. In Okinawa, soba generally refers to Okinawa soba, also made from wheat flour.
History
Background
Traces of buckwheat have been found at Neolithic sites in Japan, dating to 4000–2000 BCE, during the Jōmon period.Buckwheat cultivation was first recorded in the Shoku Nihongi, in an imperial edict of 722 CE issued by Empress Genshō, instructing farmers to plant buckwheat in response to drought and famine. Another edict of 839 CE declared that buckwheat should be sown in August, and harvested in October, because the crop grows quickly in poor soil. However, buckwheat did not seem to be widely cultivated, and was only sporadically eaten as porridge.
In the 8th century, noodle-type foods of Chinese origin appeared in Japan. Later, the monk Enni is traditionally credited for introducing noodles to Japan after returning from China.
The first specific reference to buckwheat noodles comes from a record of 1574, kept at Jōshō-ji temple, which documents that soba-kiri was served to workers repairing the main hall. More mentions of soba noodles follow throughout the early 1600s.
Edo period
Modern soba originates from the Edo period, centered around the city of Edo. The earliest references to soba are associated with Buddhist monasteries and tea ceremonies.The 1643 cookbook Ryōri Monogatari is the first to contain a recipe for making soba. After the Great Fire of Meireki in 1657, soba shops became increasingly common in Tokyo.
At first, soba was considered a low-class food, but its reputation improved by the 18th century, when it began to be eaten by samurai and other high status peoples.
One estimate states that every city block had one or more restaurants serving soba. These soba establishments, many also serving sake, functioned much like modern cafes where locals would stop for a casual meal. In 1860, a meeting in Tokyo concerning the price of buckwheat was attended by 3,726 shops, indicating the popularity of soba. Soba was also sold from mobile food stalls called yatai.
At the time, much of the city's population was susceptible to beriberi, due to high consumption of white rice, which is low in thiamine. Soba, which is high in thiamine, was regularly eaten to prevent beriberi.
Modern
Soba continues to be popular in modern times. Restaurants dedicated to soba include Sunaba, Chōju-an, Ōmura-an, Shōgetsu-an, Masuda-ya, and Maruka, some of which are yagō, or traditional establishments whose names have passed down over time. Some restaurants serve soba and udon together, since both are prepared and eaten in a similar manner.Railway stations often sell soba, as it is a popular and inexpensive fast food. They are frequently purchased by busy salarymen. Soba continues to be sold at yatai food stalls.
There are regional differences in the consumption of soba. A common perception is that soba is more popular in the Kantō region, while udon is more popular in the Kansai region, though there are exceptions. As such, soba is considered the traditional noodle of choice for Tokyoites.
Soba is traditionally eaten on New Year's Eve in most areas of Japan. This soba is called toshikoshi soba. In the Tokyo area, there is also a tradition of giving out soba to new neighbors after a house move, although this practice is now rare.
Preparation
Soba is made by slicing dough into thin noodles. Historically, soba was made only from buckwheat flour, and was steamed in baskets, because they were too brittle to boil. Modern soba is usually made from a mix of 80% buckwheat flour, and 20% wheat flour.Fresh soba, often served at restaurants, are generally cooked immediately after slicing, when the noodles are still moist and pliable. Store bought soba are dried and straight, and come in bundles.
Types
Like many Japanese noodles, soba noodles are often served drained and chilled in the summer, and hot in the winter with a soy-based dashi broth. Extra toppings can be added to both hot and cold soba. Toppings are chosen to reflect the seasons and to balance with other ingredients. Most toppings are added without much cooking, although some are deep-fried. Most of these dishes may also be prepared with udon.Cold soba
Chilled soba is often served on a sieve-like bamboo tray called a zaru, sometimes garnished with bits of dried nori seaweed, with a dipping sauce known as soba tsuyu on the side. The tsuyu is made of a strong mixture of dashi, sweetened soy sauce and mirin. Using chopsticks, the diner picks up a small amount of soba from the tray and dips it in the cold tsuyu before eating it. Wasabi and sliced negi are often mixed into the tsuyu. Many people think that the best way to experience the unique texture of hand-made soba noodles is to eat them cold, since letting them soak in hot broth changes their consistency. After the noodles are eaten, many people enjoy drinking the water in which the noodles were cooked, mixed with the leftover tsuyu.- Hadaka soba : Cold soba served on its own.
- Hiyashi soba : Cold soba served with various toppings sprinkled on top, after which the broth is poured on by the diner. It may include:
- *tororo: puree of yamaimo
- *oroshi: grated daikon radish
- *nattō: sticky fermented soybeans
- *okura: fresh sliced okra
- Mori soba : Basic chilled soba noodles served on a flat basket or a plate.
- Soba maki: A makizushi prepared as cold soba wrapped in nori.
- Soba salad: Cold soba mixed in the sesame dressing with vegetables. It is a modern and fusion cold soba dish mostly served outside Japan.
- Zaru soba : Mori soba topped with shredded nori seaweed.
Hot soba
- : Tanuki soba
- Kake soba 掛け蕎麦: Hot soba in broth topped with thinly sliced negi, and perhaps a slice of kamaboko.
- : Topped with duck meat and negi.
- or たぬき蕎麦 Tanuki soba : Topped with aburaage.
- : Hot soba noodles in curry flavored broth topped with chicken/pork and thinly sliced negi.
- Nameko soba なめこ蕎麦: Topped with nameko mushroom.
- Nishin soba 鰊蕎麦: Topped with cooked.
- Sansai soba 山菜蕎麦 : Topped with sansai, or wild vegetables such as warabi, zenmai and takenoko.
- Sobagaki 蕎麦掻き: A chunk of dough made of buckwheat flour and hot water.
- or Haikara soba ハイカラ蕎麦 : Topped with tenkasu.
- Tempura soba 天麩羅蕎麦: Topped with tempura, a large shrimp frequently is used, but vegetables are also popular. Some of soba venders use kakiage for this dish and this often is called Tensoba.
- Tororo soba とろろ蕎麦 or Yamakake soba 山かけ蕎麦: Topped with tororo, the puree of yamaimo.
- Tsukimi soba 月見蕎麦 : Topped with raw egg, which poaches in the hot soup.
- Wakame soba 若布蕎麦: Topped with wakame seaweed.
- Yamakake soba 山かけ蕎麦: ''Tororo soba''
Noodle varieties
Nagano Prefecture is famous for a variety of soba called shinshu soba, because the region's volcanic soil and temperature extremes are suited for growing buckwheat. From the Kurohime and Togakushi highlands in the north to the Kaida highlands in the south, and the prefecture boasts the second-highest production of soba in Japan. Many facilities integrate cultivation, milling and cutting, and provide soba cutting courses for customers, a major leisure activity in Nagano. Only noodles containing 40% or more buckwheat flour can carry the shinshu name.
By location
- Etanbetsu soba: named after the central region of Hokkaido
- Izumo soba: named after Izumo in Shimane
- Izushi soba: named after Izushi in Hyōgo
- Shinshu soba or Shinano soba: named after the old names of Nagano Prefecture
By ingredients
- Cha soba: flavored with green tea powder
- : flavored with funori seaweed. Originated in Uonuma, Niigata
- Jinenjo soba: flavored with wild yam, Japanese yam or Chinese yam flour
- Yomogi soba: flavored with mugwort
- Sarashina soba: thin, light-colored soba, made with refined buckwheat
- Inaka soba: "country soba", thick soba made with whole buckwheat
- Ni-hachi soba: "two-eight soba", soba containing 20% wheat and 80% buckwheat
- Towari soba or Juwari soba: 100% buckwheat soba.