# Yoshida no Udon ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

**Cuisine Name**: Yoshida no Udon

**Region**: Our Regional Cuisines

## Main Lore Areas
Fujiyoshida City

## Main Ingredients Used
All-purpose Flour, Miso, Soy sauce, Soup stock, Cabbage, etc.

## History, Origin, and Related Events
“Yoshida no udon” is a local dish that originated in the area around the city of Fujiyoshida. It is made of flour noodles that have a chewy, firm, and thick texture, and is served in a broth of miso and soy sauce. Fujiyoshida City has a cool climate and volcanic ash soil at an altitude of 700-900 m, which makes rice cultivation unsuitable. Instead, wheat, barley, buckwheat, and minor grains were cultivated, leading to a culture of eating powdered foods. In the early Showa period, the textile industry was thriving in Fujiyoshida, and it is said that the men in charge of peddling udon noodles began to make udon for lunch so that the women working the weaving machines would not have to stop to prepare lunch. This also helped to prevent their hands from becoming rough when touching the silk threads. The men kneaded the noodles vigorously, resulting in a filling and characteristic firmness. “Houtou” is another famous local dish from Yamanashi Prefecture, while “Yoshida's udon” has been popular for a long time and is now famous not only in the area around Fujiyoshida City, but also in Yamanashi Prefecture.

## Opportunities and Times of Eating Habits
It is a popular food consumed all year round. It is often eaten during festive occasions such as Bon and the New Year as a symbol of longevity and happiness due to its long shape.

## How to Eat
To make the dough, place it in a plastic bag and knead it for an hour. After that, step on the plastic bag while it's still containing the dough to further knead it. Fold the dough into three and cut it into 5mm pieces. Boil the pieces in hot water, remove the sliminess in cold water, then add miso or soy sauce to the broth with soup stock such as dried sardines or dried bonito flakes. You can eat it with steamed cabbage or horse meat boiled in sweet soy sauce if preferred.

## Efforts for Preservation and Succession
Yamanashi Prefecture has many “Yoshida's Udon” restaurants, which attract visitors from other prefectures. The prefecture is working hard to preserve and pass on 176 local foods to the next generation, and 47 of them have been recognized as "specially selected foods of Yamanashi". In 2007, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries selected Yoshida's Udon as one of the "100 Local Dishes of Rural Villages" from all over Japan.

## Ingredients
- [Noodle] All-purpose flour: 800g (or 500g high-gluten flour, 200g cake flour)
- [Noodles] Water: 320ml
- [Noodle] Flour: Appropriate quantity (cornstarch, potato starch, etc.)
- [Noodle] Salt: 1 tbsp.
- [Broth] Miso paste: 56g
- [Broth] Soy sauce: 48g
- [Broth] Powdered seasoning: 24g
- [Broth] Dried sardines: 16g
- [Broth] Bonito shavings: 20g
- [Broth] Bonito flakes: 6g
- [Broth] Water: 2L
- [Ingredients] Cabbage: 1／4
- [Ingredients] Salt: Appropriate quantity

## Recipe
1. 1. [Noodles Step 1]Mix the flour with a small amount of salt water.Adjust the water quantity according to the season, using less in summer and more in winter.
2. 2. [Noodles Step 2]Gradually add the water to the bowl of flour. Once mixed, place the dough in a plastic bag and let it rise for around an hour.
3. 3. [Noodles Step 3]While the dough is still in the plastic bag, knead it by stepping on it.
4. 4. [Noodles Step 4] Spread the kneaded dough by stepping on it until it's about 1cm thick.
5. 5. [Noodles Step 5]Sprinkle flour on top of the dough and roll it out to around 5mm thickness.
6. 6. [Noodles Step 6] Fold the dough into thirds and cut it into pieces approximately 5mm wide.
7. 7. [Noodles Step 7] Boil the noodles for around 12 minutes.
8. 8. [Noodles Step 8]Rinse the boiled noodles in cold water. Before serving, it's recommended to boil the noodles again.
9. 9. [Soup Step 1]Boil water in a pot and add dried bonito, bonito shavings, and dried bonito flakes. Boil on high heat.
10. 10. [Soup Step 2]Stop heating just before the mixture comes to a boil, then remove the dried sardines, bonito shavings, and dried bonito flakes. Keep the heat low.
11. 11. [Soup Step 3]Boil the soup stock and mix in miso, soy sauce, and powdered seasoning. After seasoning, reduce the heat from low to medium and avoid allowing the soup to come to a boil. Keep the heat at a medium level.
12. 12. [Ingredients Step 1]Fill the pot with hot water to 1／6 capacity, and add a pinch of salt.
13. 13. [Ingredients Step 2]Slice the cabbage into quarters, then put it in the pot and steam for around 5 minutes. The desired tenderness is about the level where chopsticks stick into the cabbage.
14. 14. [Ingredients Step 3]Cool the cabbage under running water for about 5 minutes.
15. 15. [Ingredients Step 4]Remove the core from the cabbage and slice it into 5mm pieces, then cut it into half lengths. If desired, top the ingredients with boiled horse meat with sugar, soy sauce, and sake.

## Provider Information
provider : A Handbook for Experiencing All the Foods of Yamanashi

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