Noodle Noodles are a type of food made from unleavened dough which is either rolled flat and cut, stretched, or extruded, into long strips or strings. Noodles are a staple food in many cultures and made into a variety of shapes. The most common noo ...

s are a staple of

Japanese cuisine Japanese cuisine encompasses the regional and traditional foods of Japan, which have developed through centuries of political, economic, and social changes. The traditional cuisine of Japan (Japanese language, Japanese: ) is based on rice with m ...

. They are often served chilled with dipping sauces, or in soups or hot dishes.Sakui, S. (2009, July 1st)
Somen: Chilled, the Japanese Noodles are a Summer Delight
''Los Angeles Times.'' Retrieved January 9th, 2010 Noodles were introduced to Japan from China during the Song Dynasty between the Heian until the early Kamakura period.

History

s were first introduced into Japan around 800 A.D. during the

Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kammu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means in Japanese. It is a ...

(794–1185). This dish was adopted from China. During the

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

, specifically between the 1661 to 1672, Soba noodles became popular in restaurants in the capital city of Edo (now

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

). It is rumored that it became extremely popular because soba noodles can be served cold, and with all of the fires occurring, the government limited the use of fuel.

Types of Japanese noodles

* ''

Ramen is a Chinese noodle dish popularized in Japan. It includes served in several flavors of broth. Common flavors are soy sauce and miso, with typical toppings including , nori (dried seaweed), menma (bamboo shoots), and scallions. Ramen h ...

'' are thin,

wheat Wheat is a group of wild and crop domestication, domesticated Poaceae, grasses of the genus ''Triticum'' (). They are Agriculture, cultivated for their cereal grains, which are staple foods around the world. Well-known Taxonomy of wheat, whe ...

-based noodles made from wheat flour, salt, water, and ''kansui'', a form of alkaline water. The dough is risen before being rolled. They were imported from China during the

Meiji period The was an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868, to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonizatio ...

. How it made the jump from China to Japan is still under debate, but it's generally accepted that in 1910 a Chinese restaurant in Yokohama started serving a dish known as lamian. ''Ramen'' noodles have a firm texture and are usually pale yellow in color. The noodles may vary in shape, width, and length. They are served in a broth. Examples of ''ramen'' dishes are ''shōyu ramen'', ''shio ramen'', '' miso ramen'', '' tonkotsu ramen'', and '' curry ramen''. * '' Shirataki'' are clear noodles made from '' konnyaku''. These noodles are chewy or rubbery. ''Shirataki'' are used to add texture to dishes such as '' sukiyaki'' and '' oden''. * ''

Soba Soba ( or , "buckwheat") are Japanese noodles made primarily from buckwheat flour, with a small amount 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 sau ...

'' is a noodle made from

buckwheat Buckwheat (''Fagopyrum esculentum'') or common buckwheat is a flowering plant in the knotweed family Polygonaceae cultivated for its grain-like seeds and as a cover crop. Buckwheat originated around the 6th millennium BCE in the region of what ...

and wheat flour. ''Soba'' noodles are available dried or fresh. They may be served with hot broth or cold with dipping sauce (''tsuyu''). Examples of ''soba'' dishes are ''

zaru A is generally a flat or shallow basket made from bamboo used in the preparation and presentation of Cuisine of Japan, Japanese cuisine. It also has variations made of plastic or metal similar to a strainer, sieve or colander. ''Zaru'' are air ...

soba'' (chilled), ''kake soba'', '' tempura soba'', ''kitsune soba'', and ''tororo soba''. Although the popular Japanese dish ''

Yakisoba (, , ) is a Japanese noodle Stir frying, stir-fried dish. Usually, soba noodles are made from buckwheat flour, but soba in are Chinese-style noodles () made from wheat flour, typically flavored with a condiment similar to Worcestershire sauce ...

'' includes "''soba''" in its name, the dish is made with Chinese-style noodles (''chūkamen''). * '' Sōmen'' noodles are a very thin, white,

-based noodle. They are usually served chilled in the summertime with dipping sauces although they may be used in soups and other hot dishes. ''Sōmen'' noodles are very similar to ''hiyamugi'' and ''udon'' noodles, only they are thinner (about 1.3mm in width). ''Sōmen'' requires oil in its manufacture. During the summer months Japanese consume chilled ''sōmen'' to stay cool. * '' Hiyamugi'' are

wheat flour Wheat flour is a powder made from the grinding of common wheat used for human consumption. Wheat varieties are called "soft" or "weak" if gluten content is low, and are called "hard" or "strong" if they have high gluten content. Hard flour, or ...

noodles similar to ''sōmen'' and ''udon'' noodles and somewhere in between the two in size. These noodles are often served in the same manner as ''sōmen'' and ''udon'' noodles. While they are mostly white, there are bundles mixed with noodles of pinkish or brown hues. * ''

Udon Udon ( or ) is a thick noodle made from wheat flour, used in Japanese cuisine. There are a variety of ways it is prepared and served. Its simplest form is in a soup as with a mild broth called made from dashi, soy sauce, and mirin. It is usual ...

'' are the thickest of the noodles served in Japanese cuisine. ''Udon'' are white, wheat-based noodles, that are 4-6mm in width. These noodles are served chilled with a dipping sauce in the summer months, or in hot dishes and soups when the temperature is cooler. ''Udon'' dishes include '' kitsune udon'', '' Nabeyaki udon'', ''

curry Curry is a dish with a sauce or gravy seasoned with spices, mainly derived from the interchange of Indian cuisine with European taste in food, starting with the Portuguese, followed by the Dutch and British, and then thoroughly internatio ...

udon'', and ''yaki udon''. However, '' sara udon'' is made using a different kind of noodle which is crispy. There are three nationally recognized regions in Japan known for their ''Udon noodles'': Kagawa ( Sanuki udon), Gunma (Mizusawa udon), and Akita (Inaniwa udon). These three regions contributed unique recipes of ''Udon'', as well as different historical and cultural backgrounds of udon production and consumption. In the Kagawa region, it is considered the "kingdom of Sanuki udon" noodle, and has been deemed a symbol of regional identity to revitalize the regional food industry and to promote regional tourism. In the Gunma region, due to the high amount of noodle shops serving udon in the surrounding cities (Mizusawa, Kiryu, and Tatebayashi), Gunma was deemed the best place where visitors can experience the best locally produced udon noodle in Japan. * '' Harusame'' are glass noodles made from potato starch. These types of noodles are commonly used in hotpot dishes and salads, and used to create Japanese adaptations of Korean and Chinese noodle dishes. ''Harusame'' dishes include ''harusame salad'', which is a cold noodle salad that features three main ingredients of julienned cucumbers, ham, and carrots. Other ingredients can include wakame seaweed, shredded egg omelette, tomatoes, bean sprouts, and more. * '' Tokoroten'' are jelly-like slices made of Kanten which comes from the gelatin of the tengusa a native seaweed. This dish was usually a summer time dish as it was composed of about 98% water. Tokoroten dates back to 1658 when an innkeeper discarded some Tokoroten which dried out into strips of Kanten which could be stored and preserved. The dish is typically garnished with soy sauce as well as rice vinegar.

References

{{Noodle Japanese inventions

History

Types of Japanese noodles

See also

References