Just Slurp It: How to Eat Soba Noodles the Proper Way
Here is a complete guide on soba, buckwheat Japanese noodles, on how you can best enjoy it. Slurp it and feel the flavour of soba spread through your mouth. It's an absolute delicacy.
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Soba noodles, made of buckwheat flour, are much loved throughout Japan. It is a traditional Japanese meal that has been eaten for ages! You will find soba served in a variety of dining establishments, particularly those that specialize in noodle dishes. Because of the buckwheat, soba noodles are full of vitamins and have a tasty flavor that makes you completely satisfied after your meal.
Eating soba in is one of the most interesting ways to experience a Japanese culture. If you guess you should simply put it in your mouth, chew and swallow, you are mistaken. Here are few soba-eating tips for you to make your Japanese trip unforgettable!
What to Choose?
Soba noodles can be eaten either cold or hot. Hot ones are usually served in a bowl of steaming broth, with the side dishes placed in a soup or on a separate plate while cold ones are eaten by dipping them into a small bowl of sauce known as tsuyu. If you do not know where to start, just go ahead and try whatever is in the menu!
Slurrrrrrp!
If you ordered hot soba, it needs to be eaten quickly and with a slurping sound. Start by keeping your mouth close to your bowl and ‘grasping’ the noodles you have in your chopsticks. You do not need to chew them but to bite in half as little as possible.
Do not forget to slurp with a distinct noise! It will not only spread the flavors throughout your mouth, but also acknowledge the cook that you are enjoying your soba. A very polite gesture actually!
Enjoy the Sauce and Broth
In case of cold soba, mix some of the condiments of your choice (for instance, green onions and wasabi) into the dipping sauce, pick up a chuck of noodles and dip it in the sauce. Do not let the soba soak otherwise the tasty flavor will fade away. It needs to be eaten quickly and without hesitating!
Finishing
When you finish your portion, some Japanese restaurants will give you a small teapot filled with hot and murky white broth. Actually, it is the water that the noodles were boiled in known as sobayu. Mix it with leftover sauce adjusting the amount to your choice and simply drink it!
Soba SASUGA
Soba SASUGA is Japanese representative, Michelin-starred, soba restaurant in Ginza. The restaurant's specialty is "chilled kake soba" made from 100% buckwheat using no fillers. Since the restaurant is open until late, you can book a table at the time after Rakugo or Kabuki performances. Please try soba at the best.
Address： Touzi Bld.2F, 2-13-6, Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
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The information in this article is accurate at the time of publication.
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