# Chitake Udon (Soba) (Chitake Mushrooms with Buckwheat Noodles) ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

**Cuisine Name**: Chitake Udon (Soba) (Chitake Mushrooms with Buckwheat Noodles)

**Region**: Our Regional Cuisines

## Main Lore Areas
Central and eastern parts of the prefecture

## Main Ingredients Used
Chitake mushrooms, eggplant, udon (buckwheat noodles)

## History, Origin, and Related Events
'Chitake udon' is an udon dish unique to the plains of Tochigi Prefecture, where flatland forests abound, and it consists of udon noodles in a broth made from stir-fried chitake mushrooms and eggplant.Tochigi Prefecture, with its extensive fields and double-cropped rice paddies, is one of the largest wheat-growing areas in Japan, and udon noodles were made from freshly ground wheat flour during the Bon Festival when the barley and wheat harvests were still in progress. 'Chitake' refers to 'chichitake (tany milkcap mushroom),' which produces a white juice when split open. Its strong aroma makes it ideal as a broth for udon and soba noodles, and it also goes perfectly with eggplant. Chitake is one of the few edible mushrooms that grow around August, ahead of the fall mushrooms, and was eaten during the Bon Festival in Tochigi Prefecture. In the past, chitake used to be abundant in satoyama areas rich in nature, but now the amount that is harvested and distributed is in decline due to factors such as changes in the natural environment.

## Opportunities and Times of Eating Habits
In Tochigi Prefecture, udon was a typical dish during the Bon Festival, as exemplified in the saying, 'Botamochi for the Bon Festival, udon for lunch, and rice with pumpkin soup for dinner.' Chitake mushrooms and eggplant harvested in summer were often used as the broth for this udon.

## How to Eat
Cut the Chitake mushrooms whilst removing the parts with soil stuck to them. For smaller ones, soak them in salted water as they are for about 10 minutes. Soak the eggplant in water for 5 minutes after cutting. Put the drained chitake and eggplant in a pan with hot oil and then saute well, add broth, season, and simmer gently. Put udon noodles in a bowl, pour the chitake mushroom soup over the udon and top with condiments.Please check the following points before using wild mushrooms.Please confirm that the forest is safe for collecting mushrooms.Please check the results of radioactive material monitoring tests, etc., to confirm that the mushrooms are safe to use.

## Efforts for Preservation and Succession
(Outline of the traditions, the preservation society, social media use, modern approaches at commercialization)The amount of chitake mushrooms harvested in Tochigi Prefecture has been decreasing, and in recent years, those harvested in the Tohoku region have been distributed. Harvesting chitake mushrooms requires the regeneration and management of satoyama, which is an issue of conservation and succession.

## Ingredients
- chitake mushrooms: 100g
- medium-sized eggplants: 2
- oil: 2 tablespoons
- salt: A pinch
- soy sauce: About 50cc
- soup stock: 3 cups
- Condiments (green onion): as required
- boiled udon noodles: 800g

## Recipe
1. 1. Cut the chitake mushrooms into bite-size pieces, removing any parts that have soil stuck on them. Soak small ones as they are in salted water for about 10 minutes.
2. 2. Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise with the skin still on, then cut them again into semicircles, soak in water for about 5 minutes, and drain.
3. 3. Heat oil in a pan and saute the mushrooms and eggplant until fragrant.
4. 4. Add broth and bring to a boil. Season with soy sauce, add water and bring to a simmer.
5. 5. Put udon noodles in a bowl and pour the chitake soup over them. Garnish with chopped green onion as a condiment.

## Provider Information
provider : Recipe provided by: 'Japanese Cuisine of the Furusato: Traditional Cuisine of Utsunomiya" (Yuji Kashiwamura/Hisae Handa)'

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