Running head: THE JAPANESE UDON CULTURE 1

The Japanese Udon Culture

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The Japanese Udon Culture

Introduction

Udon is a type of thick wheat-flour which is commonly served as hot noodle soup

when in its simplest form. Although the flavors are different and they frequently vary

from one region to another. Soy sauce which is dark brown in color is common on the

eastern side of Japan.The light sauce that is brown in color is consumed widely on the

western side of Japan (Ashkenazi, 2013). A consumer of the products can get the

varieties of the udon which are packed and labeled as instant noodles.

Origin

Flour milling technology was introduced in Japan in 1241AD.The floured crops

were made into noodles such as the udon and the pancakes which were a delicacy of the

locals. Later on the techniques that were used in milling spread across Japan and noodles

were manufactured in large quantities. There are claims that initially the udon was known

as London and was made of sweet fillings and wheat flour. Culturally, the udon is served

while chill during summer and hot during winter. The udon is also widely used in Korea

where it is served in many restaurants while the Korean udon soups are served in the

street balls. The most common ingredients for the udon soup in Korea are the fish cakes.

Another area where the udon is sold is Palau. The broth is soy sauced and most likely it is

easy to acquire it in Palau just like one can purchase spaghetti in some countries

(Ashkenazi, 2013).
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Taste

Sashimi is seafood which is sliced. Sushi is almost similar to sashimi although it

lacks the vineyard rice. The sashimi pieces are dipped in the soya sauce before they are

consumed. The daikon and the shiso can alternatively be dipped in the soy sauce and

consumed. Depending on the type of sashimi there are other accompaniments that can be

added to the sashimi that include the Maguro (tuna), Toro (fatty tuna), Ika (squid) as well

as the octopus (tako).On the other hand, since Japan is basically an island there is

massive consumption of the seafood together with rice .Additionally, the udon is also

served with most of the sea food (Ashkenazi, 2013)

The udon is also served as hot noodle soup in a mildly flavored broth as make

udon which is served with kakejiru. Ideally, kakejiru is a combination of Dashi, Mirin

and soy sauce. The udon noodles are made of wheat flour, water, and salt. When

preparing the udon, salt is added to the water to make the corn to have a firm texture. The

udon noodles are later mixed using the hands, and then they are spread on a mat to ensure

that stickiness of the gluten is achieved (Hayakawa, 2013). The dough is usually allowed

to rest overnight, and then it is made to the perfect size by a noodle maker. The noodles

are later cut into slices then boiled for a short while and finally placed in cold water.

The essence of having the noodles put in water is to ensure that they do not

become very slimy and there is the maintenance of the white color. There are other

varieties of the udon noodles in Japan.For instance, there is the green type of the udon

noodles as well as a purple variety. The purple variety is made from the sweet potatoes
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whose origin is Japan.when preparing; the noodle is mixed to come up with the best

combination and to increase flavor. Additionally, other ingredients are added to the

noodles such as pork meat to improve the taste of the meal. The udon noodles had their

origin from China. Ideally, in the 1300s, udon was mostly eaten by the Buddhists monks

although the ordinary people did not have the chance to consume the udon (Kushner,

2012).

The reason for exempting them from consuming the udon is the fact that majority

of the people did not own the grinding mortars that were used to grind the wheat into

flour. Basically, in 1300 the cannons were mostly owned by the elites of the society

which were used to grid tea. When the civil war erupted, a majority of the masons were

out of work, and they got engaged in the construction of the mortars for the local people.

At the same time, the majority of individuals were concentrating on the production of the

wheat because significant amounts of their rice were used to pay taxes at the

time.Therefore the wheat farmers had the advantage of having the mortars and producing

udon on their own (Kushner, 2012).Basically, the “got udon” is the oldest variety in

Japan.The main characteristic of the got udon is that it is thin in nature and have the spiral

pattern which is mainly done by the hands.

Another type of the udon is the oshibori udon which is made of daikon juice that

is used in the treatment of the colds and flu. Still, there is another variety of the udon

known as the Yamanashi udon that is cooked together with carrots and the pumpkins.

The most mysterious and unique type of udon is the touching new year udon which is

broad in nature and has the folded shapes which look like the ears of the evil spirits.it is
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believed by the Japanese that when the Tochigi udon is consumed at the beginning of the

new year, the udon can offer protection to the family members and protects the family

members from being attacked by the demons. Therefore it prevents the Japanese people

from disaster and bad luck (Kushner, 2012).

The tanuki udon is the most common type in Japan and it has its origin in

Kagawa.This type of udon has the self-service operation which offers the customers with

a broad scope to select the variety of the udon that they want.In this type of udon there

are specifications of the required temperature as well as the type of soup needed by the

customer. Additionally, there is the use of a particular flavor that the customers trace the

identity of undo with. Basically, in Kagawa, the udon culture is embraced by the majority

of people who have the specialized udon taxis as well as the udon museums.

Additionally, there are also other types of the udon restaurants which offer the self-

service to their customers. On the other hand, the tanuki udon is a representation of a

culture where the customers enjoy the food at his or her convenience. This offers the

customer the comfort of carrying with him or her food especially when traveling

(Kushner, 2012).

The taste and the texture of the udon are generally affected by the type of flour

used therefore the local types of the flour have different characteristics that favor the

consumers. On the contrary, there has been the introduction of other grain varieties from

Australia that are used to manufacture the wheat flour. This variety has become very

competitive in the Japanese market. Arguably, majority of the Japanese have embraced

this product. The quality of the imported grain is relatively better as compared to other
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varieties in the market. However, there has been developments in the type of wheat that is

produced in Japan with the aim of competing with other foreign varieties that are being

introduced in Japan. (Sosnoski, 2013)

According to the Japanese scientist there is a new development in the strains that

is the"tanuki Dream 2000”that has been tested and made available to the farmers and

consumers.in comparison to other strains of the udon in Japan as well as to the new

strains in the market, the tanuki dream variety has been the best variety in the among the

others.Interms of the quality of udon in the country, the udon is the best and has become

popular among the farmers as well as the udon shop owners.in real essence, the Japanese

government has ensured that there is the integration of tradition and the modern ways of

technology to produce a delicacy that is delicious to the consumers of udon (Sosnoski,

2013).

The hot dishes of udon

There are several types of udon that are prepared while hot. First, there is the kake

udon which is broth topped with green slices of onions and afwe slices of the

kamaboko.Second there is the tsukimi udon which is a variety that is served with raw

eggs that are placed in the hot soup.

Thirdly, there is the Kare Udon which is a variety of udon that is curry-flavored

andis served with meat and the vegetables. Additionally, there is the Nabeyaki udon,

which is a type of udon that is hot in nature and served with the seafood and the

vegetables that are cooked in a hot pot. Other ingredients that are served with the

Nabeyaki udon is the tempura shrimps and mushrooms together with an egg at the top.
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Notably, there is also another type of the udon that is known as the Miso -nikoni udon

that is the main dish in Nagoya and is simmered in red Miso soup. The chicken flavor has

the main ingredient and a floating cracked raw egg which is stirred by the consumer of

the meal, some vegetables as well as tubers (Sosnoski, 2013). Still to mention on the

Miso –Nikomi Udon is the fact that this type of noodles is firm in nature to withstand the

prolonged high temperatures during the simmering period. More to this, the variety of the

noodles do not have any salt in them to avoid over salting because of the amount of salt

in the miso. In addition to these types of the udon, there is the hot udon which is mostly

consumed in Yamanashi and is served with miso soup and several vegetables. When

preparing the hoto udon there is the addition of salt in the dough but for the normal udon

salt is not necessary. The other variety of the hot udon that is available on the market is

the yaki udon which is a stir-fried udon in soy –based sauce that originated in Fukuoka

and is made from the steamed ramen which is a product of China.

The cold dishes of udon

Zaru udon is chilled udon noodles that are cut into pieces by a machine known as

nori and later served on a bamboo tray. It is consumed with ginge that has been grated.

Additionally, there is the kijoyu udon which is served with cold soup of fresh soy sauce

and a citrus juice together with some grated daikon. Ideally, there are also other dishes of

the udon that are also an available in the market such as the bukkake udon and the

Hadaka udon. The main difference between the Hadaka and the bukkake udon is that the

hadaka union is served on its own while cold and the bukkake udon is served with thick

dashi –broth while it’s still cold(Thorn bury, 2013).

Table manners
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The Japanese strictly observe table manners at all cost. Before a Japanese

consumes any meal that he or she is offered, they have to receive it gratefully, and after

the food, the Japanese will thank the person who is offering them the food. In case one

does not honor the phrases it shows that one did not enjoy the meal which is also

assumed to be an insult to the person who had prepared the meal. Ideally, there is also the

use of the chopsticks to lead the undo noodles to the mouth .surprisingly one can imitate

the slurping sound of another if he or she is taking the meal in a noodle shop. Ideally, the

behavior of producing noise as one consumes the food is not regarded as bad manners in

the Japanese society, but it is a sign of one enjoying the meal. On the other hand, as for

the noodles, soup one is supposed to use a spoon to lead the soup to the mouth. In

situations where the spoon is not provided, it is allowed by the norms to lift the bowl

towards your mouth and drink the soup (Thorn bury, 2013).

Conclusion

Despite the fact that much of the Japanese culture originated from China there

have been huge developments in the food culture of the Japanese. Although the

developments have taken place with time, the Japanese culture of consuming the udon

noodles is still practiced in many parts of the country. The culture of consuming the

noodles although being a practice of the past it is unique among a majority of the

Japanese. On the other hand, the Japanese practice food etiquette while having their

meals. In case one gets an opportunity of interacting with the Japanese at their homes,

one will have unique experiences on table manners and etiquette of cooking, serving and

consumption of the noodles.

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One is not supposed to act contrary to the etiquette rules that are supposed to be

observed when taking meals. In order to meet the expectations of the consumer the

Japanese use flat pans that accommodate quite high temperatures. Ideally, consumption

of udon noodles has been a common practice in Japan for a long period hence

maintaining the food culture of Japan.

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Works cited

Ashkenazi, M., & Jacob, J. (2013). The essence of Japanese cuisine: an essay on food

and culture. Routledge.

Hayakawa, F., Kazami, Y., Nishinari, K., Ioku, K., Akuzawa, S., Yamano, Y &

Kohyama, K. (2013). Classification of Japanese texture terms. Journal of Texture Studies,

44(2), 140-159.

Kushner, B. (2012). Slurp!: A Social and Culinary History of Ramen, Japan's Favorite

Noodle Soup. Leiden: Global Oriental.

Sosnoski, D. (Ed.). (2013). Introduction to Japanese culture. Tuttle Publishing.

Thornbury, B. E., & Sugimoto, Y. (2012). The Cambridge Companion to Modern

Japanese Culture.