Noodles ── Soba
Yuzukiri
Yuzukiri — soba noodles kneaded with grated yuzu peel for a citrus aroma
A kawari-soba made by grating yuzu citrus peel into the buckwheat dough. The fruit's aroma is said to layer over buckwheat's own scent as the noodle's main appeal. It is said to be one of the playful variations devised during the Bunka-Bunsei era (1804–30), alongside cha-soba.
Lineage
What it's made of
The dough is made by grating yuzu citrus peel into the buckwheat, so that biting into the noodle releases a burst of citrus aroma layered over buckwheat's own scent. Many shops are said to serve it in winter, when yuzu itself is in season.
How it's made
Only the thin, outer, aromatic yellow layer of the yuzu peel is grated in, avoiding the bitter white pith beneath, and worked into the dough. Adding too much peel is said to bring out bitterness, so judging exactly how much to add — enough for aroma, not bitterness — is said to take a careful hand.
Why it took this shape
Yuzukiri is said to be one of the kawari-soba variations devised during the Bunka-Bunsei era, when Edo's food culture reached a kind of maturity, alongside cha-soba and mugwort noodles. Kneading in a seasonal citrus is said to have grown out of a playful wish to enjoy yuzu's aroma, in season through winter — an irimono built around scent more than color.
Before you go
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Dishes in the same style
- Baniku SobaFrom the Aso area of Kumamoto: hot soba topped with horse meat simmered sweet and salty. It's said to carry the history of a region where horse meat took root as a restorative food for the injured and ill.
- Cha SobaA kawari-soba made by kneading powdered green tea, often matcha, into the buckwheat dough. It takes on a faint green tint along with tea's own aroma. It is said to be one of the playful noodle variations devised during the Bunka-Bunsei era (1804–30), alongside yuzu-flavored soba.