SOBA

 Soba (そば or 蕎麦) is the Japanese name for buckwheat. It is synonymous with a type of thin noodle made from buckwheat flour, and in Japan can refer to any thin noodle (unlike thick wheat noodles, known as udon). Soba noodles are served either chilled with a dipping sauce, or in hot broth as a noodle soup. It takes three months for buckwheat to be ready for harvest, so it can be harvested four times a year, mainly in spring, summer, and autumn. In Japan, buckwheat is produced mainly in Hokkaido. Soba that is made with newly harvested buckwheat is called "shin-soba". It is sweeter and more flavorful than regular soba.

In Japan, soba noodles are served in a variety of settings: they are a popular inexpensive fast food at train stations throughout Japan, but are also served by expensive specialty restaurants. Markets sell dried noodles and men-tsuyu, or instant noodle broth, to make home preparation easy.

Some establishments, especially cheaper and more casual ones, may serve both soba and udon as they are often served in a similar manner. Soba the traditional noodle of choice for Tokyoites. This tradition originates from the Tokugawa period, when the population of Edo (Tokyo), being considerably wealthier than the rural poor, were more susceptible to beri beri due to their high consumption of white rice, which is low in thiamine. It was discovered that beri beri could be prevented by regularly eating thiamine-rich soba.In the Tokugawa era, every neighborhood had one or two soba establishments, many also serving sake, which functioned much like modern cafes where locals would stop for a casual meal.

Soba Flower

Festival

Competitive eating

Wanko soba

Wanko Soba (わんこそば) is a style of Japanese soba noodles originating from Iwate Prefecture in Japan, particularly Morioka and Hanamaki. It consists of a small serving of soba noodles in a small bowl.

The name Wanko comes from the regional dialect of the Iwate Prefecture from which it comes, meaning "bowl", but more specifically, a small, wooden Japanese soup bowl. There are many theories about the origin of the dish itself however.

One such origin is of a landowner who was having a festival on his land. There was a crowd of over 100 villagers and guests who customarily ate soba at festivals. However, there were so many people to feed but the pots in which the soba were to be made were very small. The soba noodles were spread around in reduced quantities so that there would be enough for everyone.

Nanbu Toshinao (a powerful territorial lord) of the Toshinao family came and stopped at a house in a blacksmith town asking for a meal. The house, in Hanamaki, happened to be facing Edo. The owner of the house, timidly, served Nanbu Toshinao soba noodles in a small soup bowl. The owner of the house, thinking he served the Nanbu Toshinao something without much flavor, let him eat it. But Nanbu Toshinao thought it was delicious, establishing the dish, as the story goes.

There are many stories of how the dish came to be, but these two are the most common. However, the term "Wanko" did not come about until after World War II, some repudiate the stories.

In December 1957 in Hanamaki, the Wanko Winter Sumo Place put on an exhibit in which participants from many countries contested to see who could eat the most bowls of wanko soba. The modern way of eating wanko soba was born.