Buckwheat vs. Wheat While ramen is the oily, modern rockstar, Soba and Udon are the traditional, zen-like elders of Japanese noodles. They represent the diversity of Japanese agriculture: Soba (buckwheat) grows in cool, mountainous regions, while Udon (wheat) thrives in the warmer west.
Soba: The Aroma of the Mountains
Soba noodles are thin, grey-brown, and made from buckwheat flour.
- Health: Soba is rich in protein and nutrients (Rutin).
- Ju-wari vs. Ni-hachi:
- Ju-wari (100%): Pure buckwheat. Brittle, rough texture, but maximum aroma.
- Ni-hachi (2:8): 20% wheat, 80% buckwheat. Smoother and easier to slurp.
- How to Eat:
- Mori / Zaru Soba (Cold): Served on a bamboo tray. You dip the noodles into a cold sauce (Tsuyu). This is the best way to taste the noodle itself.
- Kake Soba (Hot): Served in hot broth. Comforting, but the noodles lose texture quickly.
- Sobayu: After finishing cold soba, the restaurant gives you a pot of the hot, cloudy water used to boil the noodles. Pour it into your leftover dipping sauce to drink as a warm, nutritious soup.
Udon: The Chewy Delight
Udon noodles are thick, white, and made from wheat flour. The most prized quality is Koshi—a texture that is soft on the outside but firm and elastic at the core.
- Sanuki Udon (Kagawa): The most famous style. Known for intense chewiness. Often eaten simply with soy sauce and a raw egg (Kamatama).
- Inaniwa Udon (Akita): Hand-stretched, thin, and flat udon. It is smooth and elegant, almost like pasta.
Dishes You Will See
- Tempura Soba/Udon: Topped with fried shrimp or vegetables.
- Kitsune: Topped with sweet fried tofu (Abura-age). Folklore says foxes (Kitsune) love tofu.
- Tanuki: Topped with crunchy tempura batter scraps (Tenkasu). Folklore says raccoons (Tanuki) are tricksters, implying the batter is “fake tempura.”
- Toshikoshi Soba: On New Year’s Eve, Japanese people eat long soba noodles to wish for a long, healthy life.
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