Soba that is eaten with noodles in black soup.
It is one of the washoku that Japan is proud of.
As a Japanese, I will teach you the deliciousness of soba.
Do you know what buckwheat is made of?
I will also teach you how to make soba.
Introducing various soba dishes that can be eaten in Japan.
Introducing places where you can buy soba.
There are many pictures of soba.
It’s fun just looking at the pictures.
How to make soba
![Buckwheat flower](https://washoku-japan.jp/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/そばの花-300x200.jpg)
The material for buckwheat is grain buckwheat.
This buckwheat fruit is crushed and milled.
This is buckwheat flour.
Make dough by mixing buckwheat flour with flour and water.
Stretch this dough thinly and cut it into small pieces.
Boil in hot water to complete the soba noodles.
Kind of soba
![BUCKWHEAT SEEDS](https://washoku-japan.jp/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/そばの実-300x200.jpg)
“Nihachi soba”
![Buckwheat flour](https://washoku-japan.jp/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/そば粉-300x225.jpg)
Soba with 80% buckwheat flour and 20% wheat flour is called “Nihachi soba”.
“Nihachi soba” is the most common soba in Japan.
Flour is added to make the soba noodles hard to cut.
“Nihachi soba” has a smooth texture.
“Nihachi Soba” can enjoy a smooth throat.
“Juwari Soba”
![Stretched buckwheat dough](https://washoku-japan.jp/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/のばしたそば-300x200.jpg)
There is also “Juwari Soba” made only with buckwheat flour without adding flour.
There are rough buckwheat particles on the surface of the noodles.
The noodles are easy to cut, so lightly touch your teeth in your mouth to cut the noodles.
The taste and aroma spread softly in your mouth from this cut noodle.
History of soba
![Cut the buckwheat dough](https://washoku-japan.jp/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/そば打ち-300x200.jpg)
Soba was eaten as food 1300 years ago.
The soba noodles at that time were not noodles like they are today, but porridge as they were.
The main purpose of buckwheat noodles at that time was to survive hunger.
Soba grows even in rough terrain, and 70 to 80 days after sowing, the best time to harvest.
Soba can be harvested two or three times a year.
We were able to harvest more buckwheat than rice and wheat.
It was 400 years ago that soba became noodles.
How to eat soba
Soba is eaten with chopsticks, but if you can’t use chopsticks, you can eat it with a fork.
There are no forks at shops that offer soba, so bring them with you.
In Japan, when you eat soba, you sip the soba and make a sound.
Even in Japan, it is a violation of etiquette to make noise and eat, but the sound of soba noodles is different.
It is said that the reason for eating with noise is to enjoy the aroma of soba.
If you eat soba while sipping it, you will breathe air along with the noodles.
By breathing air together when eating, you can feel the scent of buckwheat in your nose.
For this reason, it seems to be delicious.
One of the reasons for sipping soba is that the noodles are often entwined with juice.
When you eat noodles by sipping, the juice is more entwined with the noodles than when you eat it silently.
It seems that the history of making soba is also related.
It was during the Edo period that soba was offered as noodles.
In Edo, soba was served at food stalls.
Most people eat soba while standing, so people at that time hurriedly ate it.
Therefore, it is said that people at that time ate soba with a noise.
It is said that this custom continues to the present day and has an influence on how to eat ramen.
However, I think it is a violation of etiquette for me as a Japanese person to eat with extreme noise.
I think the sound of soba noodles should not be too loud.
Eating soba with noise is part of Japanese culture.
I hope you understand.
Soba dishes
Kake soba
Kake soba has soba in warm soba soup.
Soba soup is a soup stock made from dried bonito flakes with soy sauce and mirin added.
The taste of soba soup varies from store to store.
For soba soup with a light taste, it is recommended to eat soba while drinking soba soup.
Over time, the noodles become soft and taste bad.
We recommend that you eat it in a short amount of time.
Soba soup can be drunk directly with your mouth.
Morisoba
Morisoba is served separately with cold noodles and cold soba soup in a small bowl.
Take a bite of noodles and dip it in soba soup to eat.
The taste of soba soup is strong, so don’t add too much soba soup to the soba.
Condiments such as green onions, shichimi, and wasabi are provided.
Please put it in soba soup and eat it if you like.
Noodles will harden over time.
We recommend that you eat Morisoba in a short amount of time.
Morisoba is also called “Zarusoba”.
The vessel used for “Zaru soba” is a colander.
“Zarusoba” is soba with seaweed.
The above two points are said to be the difference between Morisoba and Zaru soba, but nowadays there is not much distinction.
Bukkake soba
Bukkake soba is served with cold noodles, cold soba soup and various ingredients in one bowl.
There is also a menu where soba and soup with ingredients are served separately.
The noodles are chilled with cold water, so the texture is firm and chewy.
The ingredients vary from store to store, such as wakame seaweed, tomatoes, fried eggplants, eggs, and pickled plums.
Tempura soba
Tempura soba is made by putting tempura on top of kake soba.
Most of the tempura on top is shrimp and kakiage.
If you want to enjoy the crispy texture of tempura, you should eat tempura immediately.
Soaking tempura in soba soup changes the taste of soba soup.
You can enjoy the change in the taste of soba soup.
I think it’s delicious even if you soak the tempura in soba soup.
A place where you can eat soba
Soba specialty store
There are many soba specialty stores in Japan.
The price of soba can be eaten from around 1000 yen.
Soba often comes with tempura.
There is a set of assorted morisoba and tempura.
There is also a set of soba with sushi.
You can enjoy various washoku.
Many stores offer sake and beer.
It can also be used as an izakaya.
Some stores only offer soba.
convenience store
![Convenience store tempura soba](https://washoku-japan.jp/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/こんびにの天ぷらそば.jpg)
You can also buy soba at convenience stores in Japan.
Morisoba is sold for around 300 yen.
If you put soba soup in a container, you can eat it immediately.
It also comes with green onions and wasabi.
Tempura soba is also sold at convenience stores.
Tempura soba costs around 500 yen.
Soba soup is sold in solid form, but it becomes liquid when heated in the microwave.
Speaking to a convenience store clerk, it warms the soba.
You can eat warm soba immediately.
Be careful when you bring the soba home as it is hot.
The charm of soba
Soba that is familiar to the common people in Japan.
People with buckwheat allergies need to be careful, but it is a nutritious food that is rich in protein and vitamins.
You will be amazed at the aroma and deliciousness of soba.
Please try the traditional Washoku soba.
Thank you for reading to the end.
I hope this article has helped you.
Other articles are also interesting, so please read them.