About Japanese Noodles

Here is a rundown of the types of noodles that are widely used in Japan. Noodles are among the favorite foods in Japan. You can find noodle stores all over the streets in most cities there.

Somen:
These noodles are very fine noodles which are made from wheat. The dough is stretched along with vegetable oil to make the noodles very thin. Somen cooks very quickly and cooks in a matter of minutes.

Soba:
Soba noodles are the favorite noodle in Japan. They are made of buckwheat flour mixed with wheat flour. The color of  Soba noodles ranges from dark brownish grey to light beige. The finest Soba comes from Shinshu in the mountains of central Japan. Fresh Soba is widely available. Cold Soba noodles are often eaten eaten in summer and served on a bamboo tray with a dipping sauce. Outside of Japan, dried Soba noodles sold in many major grocery stores and Asian markets.

Udon:
Udon is a thick wheat noodle. To make Udon, wheat flour is mixed with salted water to make a dough, then rolled out and thinly sliced. Fresh Udon is available in Japan but in the west it is sold dried.

Ramen:
Ramen means stretched noodle and it originated in china. It is made with wheat flour, alkali water and eggs. The chemical reaction between them makes the wheat dough smooth and stretchable to create a thin noodle.

All Japanese noodles can be cooked in water or in hot dashi based stock with a few added ingredients, or eaten cold with a dipping sauce. When you eat noodles in Japan is quite appropriate to slurp them quite loudly, which is thought to bring out the best flavor.