Noodles
Kanzaki Somen
Kanzaki somen — hand-stretched wheat noodles from Kanzaki, chilled and dipped
Hand-stretched somen noodles from Kanzaki are chilled in ice water for a firm bite and smooth slide — said to trace back some 380 years to a traveling monk who, falling ill, taught the noodle-making craft to the peddler who nursed him.
- Origin: Saga Kanzaki
- About 900 km west of Tokyo
What it's made of
This chilled somen is known for a strong wheat flavor and aroma with a firm, springy bite, qualities said to come through best once the noodles are properly shocked in ice water. Because it holds up well even boiled, it's also enjoyed in a warm broth during winter, and the town is known as one of the leading somen-producing areas in Kyushu. The noodle-making technique is said to trace back roughly 380 years.
How it's made
The noodles are boiled in plenty of water, drained, and then chilled firmly in ice water to remove the surface slipperiness. They're dipped in a noodle sauce and eaten with garnishes like ginger and myoga. The area's mild climate and good water source are said to have suited wheat cultivation well, and its ample water supply is said to have once powered mills that ground the wheat. Ginger and myoga are said to pair especially well as garnish. The technique is said to have been introduced by a traveling monk from a small island.
Why it took this shape
The method is said to trace back to a traveling monk who taught the hand-stretched noodle technique to a local peddler who cared for him. It's said to have started as a winter side occupation for farming families, made by hand before water-powered mills later took over grinding the wheat. The town is also described as the birthplace of machine-made somen, an early adopter of roller noodle machines. The town is said to have once been home to more than 300 noodle workshops. The use of water-powered mills to grind the wheat is also said to have spread from there.
Before you go
- How to read a ticket machineShops that use a ticket machine (shokken-ki) often place their most popular items in a similar spot.
- Foods to look for in summerA guide to foods often seen in Japan around summer — eel on the Day of the Ox, hiyashi chuka, somen, shaved ice, edamame with beer, and hamo — with rough pointers for finding them.
- What staff say, and how to respondCommon set phrases you'll hear at restaurants, with what they mean and what to do when you hear them. You don't need to memorize them — just recognizing them is enough.
Dishes in the same style
- Abura SobaNo broth is poured at all — noodles are tossed in a soy-and-sesame-oil tare pooled at the bottom of the bowl, said to have started at shops in the Musashino area in the late 1950s, with vinegar and chili oil stirred in partway through.
- Abura ZomenPork and somen are fried together with a splash of broth, the oil and stock emulsifying into a silky coat on the noodles. Just how somen took root in wheat-free Amami isn't clear, but the dish is a fixture whenever people gather, not least for the August Dance festival.
Ingredients and dishes from this land
Also from Saga
- Ara no SugataniA grouper weighing ten kilos or more is simmered whole in a giant pot over the better part of a day — the showpiece of the hospitality dishes women prepare for guests during the Karatsu-kunchi festival, said to have started as a postwar display of one-upmanship.
- FunankoguiCrucian carp, wrapped whole in kelp, simmers for hours with daikon and other roots until even the bones turn soft — a winter protein source from the lean season on the Ariake Sea, and in Kashima, an offering to the god of good fortune at New Year.
- Futsu MochiPounded mochi is worked through with boiled mugwort and wrapped around sweet bean paste — where much of Japan offers diamond-shaped rice cakes at the Doll Festival, parts of Saga offer this mugwort mochi instead, and it doubles as a snack marking spring's arrival.
- Go DofuSoy milk is set not with nigari but kudzu starch, giving this Arita specialty a softer, glossier bite than ordinary tofu — served with sesame-soy as a side, or with black sugar syrup and soybean flour as a dessert.
- Hoshigaki NamasuJulienned daikon and dried persimmon are tossed with vinegar, yuzu juice, and soy — from Saga's Matsubai district, where curtains of drying persimmons hanging under the eaves mark the fall, and this dish is said to appear alongside New Year's osechi.
- Ika no KakeaeSquid, daikon, and carrot are tossed in a vinegared miso dressing thick with ground sesame — a style of dish found across Japan, but called 'kakeae' in Saga, where fatty mackerel sometimes stands in for squid at autumn festivals.