Okinawa soba
This article possibly contains original research. (November 2012) |
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Okinawa soba (沖縄そば) is a type of noodle produced in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Okinawa soba is a regional collective trademark of The Okinawa Noodle Manufacturing Co-op.[1] On Okinawa, it is sometimes simply called soba (or suba in the Okinawan language), although this Japanese term typically refers to buckwheat noodles in mainland Japan. The noodles of Okinawa soba are made from wheat flour, and do not contain any buckwheat.
The thick wheat
It is served in a broth flavored with
Varieties include:
- Sōki soba (ソーキそば) - topped with extra ribs, known as sōkiin Okinawan.
- Tebichi soba (てびちそば) - topped with stewed pig's trotters.
Name
Today the word soba means buckwheat, in particular buckwheat noodles, in Japanese. This word is in origin an abbreviation of soba-mugi (buckwheat). The word soba refers to the edge in ancient Japanese and soba-mugi meant "edgy wheat". Around the 16th century, buckwheat began to be processed into thin noodles. This method was originally known as soba-kiri (lit. soba cutting) but it was later abbreviated into soba. Soba was mainly consumed in eastern Japan and was not popular in western Japan or on Okinawa. Buckwheat noodles remain rare on Okinawa, where they are known as Nihon soba (Japanese soba) or kuroi soba (black soba).
In modern Japan, the meaning of soba was extended so that it could refer to other types of thin noodles. Yakisoba (stir-fried noodles) contain no buckwheat. Shina soba, commonly known as Chūka soba (Chinese soba), or rāmen today, is also made from wheat flour. Okinawa soba falls into this category and is made entirely from wheat.
Under a fair competition regulation, soba was standardized as "the noodles contain at least 30% of buckwheat." This definition caused a problem when Okinawa was returned to Japanese rule in 1972. In 1976, the Fair Trade Commission tried to make Okinawa Prefecture drop the name "soba" because Okinawa's soba did not conform to the regulation. The Okinawa Noodle Manufacturing Co-op negotiated with the Fair Trade Commission and as a result it was accepted as one of several exceptions under the name of Okinawa soba.
History
Some attempt to trace the origin of Okinawa soba to the
The first known documented reference to Okinawa soba was in 1902 during the late
In Brazil, a variation of Okinawa soba known as
Notes
- ^ "Okinawa soba, trademark registration N. 5008493" (PDF) (in Japanese). Japan Patent Office. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
- ^ Miyagi Masayasu 宮城昌保 (2000). "Ryūkyū no menshoku denpa 琉球の麺食伝播". 風俗史学 Fūzoku Shigaku (in Japanese) (13): 61–71.
- ^ a b c Nishimura Hidemi 西村秀三 (2003). "Yuragu genfūkei 揺らぐ原風景". Ajia yūgaku アジア遊学 (in Japanese) (53): 73–81.
- ^ Lima, Daniela (2018-08-07). "Sobarias de Campo Grande se reúnem para discutir preservação da receita do prato típico da cidade". Rede Educativa MS (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 2020-06-21.
- ^ a b "VI-2 Feira Central". Terra de Esperança – Kibo no Daitsi (PDF) (in Portuguese and Japanese). Campo Grande, Brasil: Associação Okinawa de Campo Grande – MS. 2019 [2014]. pp. 554–556. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-07-27. (Associação Okinawa de Campo Grande – MS website)
External links
- (in Japanese) Okinawa Noodle Manufacturing Co-op
- Fair competition regulation regarding fresh noodles containing the definition of Okinawa soba (in Japanese).