Noodles ── Udon
Saitama no Udon
Saitama no Udon — a family of local wheat noodle styles across the prefecture
An umbrella term for the wheat noodle traditions of Saitama, a leading wheat-growing prefecture. Firm hand-cut noodles in the northeast, strong dipping broth in the west, wide noodles along the rivers — more than twenty local styles exist.
- Origin: Saitama
Lineage
What it's made of
An umbrella term for Saitama's wheat noodles, which vary by region in thickness, chew, and color. Hand-cut noodles firm enough for a smooth swallow, a deep-brown noodle famously firm and served with a dipping sauce, and thick, chewy, wide noodles by riverside towns are all said to fall under the name. Even under one word, the texture can differ greatly from place to place.
How it's made
Wheat flour is mixed with salt and water and kneaded to an earlobe-like softness, then the dough rests before being rolled and cut to a thickness and width suited to its local style. Boiled until translucent, the noodles are served with their region's dipping sauce, or simmered together with other ingredients, with boiling time and cut width said to reflect each maker's experience.
Why it took this shape
With wheat long grown after rice as a second crop in Saitama, wheat became central to the local diet, and each area is said to have developed its own style of udon. Noodles said to number well over a dozen distinct local styles are said to have taken shape to match the climate and terrain of the northeast, west, and river valleys of the central region, and remain part of everyday and festive meals alike.
Before you go
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Dishes in the same style
- Bukkake UdonUdon boiled and chilled in cold water, then doused directly with a concentrated sauce. Scallion and grated daikon go on top, and mixing everything together boldly is said to be the standard way of eating it. A hot version, using warm broth instead, is also said to exist.
- Chikara UdonKake udon topped with a piece of grilled mochi. The name is said to trace to mochi's reputation as a food that "gives you strength," carrying more calories than plain rice. In the Kinki region it is also called kachin udon, from okachin, an old courtly word for mochi.
Ingredients and dishes from this land
Related lineage
- Kazo UdonSaid to have begun where travelers crossed the Tone River and at the gates of Sogan-ji temple in Kazo, Saitama. The dough is kneaded and rested longer than usual to build extra chew.
- NiboutoFrom Fukaya, Saitama: a wide, flat raw noodle simmered straight into the pot without pre-boiling. The flour that washes off thickens the broth, and unlike Yamanashi's hoto, the seasoning here runs soy-based.
- HiyajiruSesame and miso ground in a mortar, mixed with summer vegetables like cucumber and shiso, then chilled with cold water. It serves as a dipping broth for udon in noodle-loving Saitama, and Kawajima town calls it suttate.
Also from Saitama
- Sakekasu Miso RamenA winter-only ramen from Ageo City, where sake lees from a long-running local brewery are worked into a Chinese restaurant's miso broth. The lees' depth and aroma layer over the miso's savoriness, leaving a mellow finish that warms the body in the cold months.
- Dojo NiPond loach caught in the paddies of eastern Saitama, simmered sweet and savory with shaved burdock, from a land fed by the Arakawa and Tone rivers. Rich in nutrients, it was valued as a tonic and a food for pregnant women.
- Gyoda Furai"Furai" from around Gyoda, Saitama, despite its name, isn't fried — it's grilled. Chopped scallion and pork go on a wheat-flour batter cooked on a griddle, an okonomiyaki-like snack said to have caught on with the women working the town's tabi-sock factories.
- Higashimatsuyama YakitoriPork cheek grilled over charcoal and brushed with a spicy miso sauce.
- Iga ManjuA sweet bean bun wrapped in red rice and steamed, said to originate in Konosu. Named for its resemblance to a spiky chestnut burr, it balances a sweet-salty flavor with a chewy bite.