Mysterious texture! Japanese specialty “Kawara soba”

Soba is one of Japan’s noodle dishes.

Generally speaking, soba in Japan looks like the picture below.

However, if you go to Yamaguchi Prefecture in Japan, you will be offered an unusual type of soba called “Kawara soba”.

Here’s the kawara soba(瓦そば)!

What does kawara mean?

Kawara is building materials made by molding and firing clay.
It is also used for roofs of shrines and temples in Japan or for roofs of houses.

In other words, kawara soba is a dish in which soba is served on top of traditional Japanese building materials.

Kawara is heated to a hot temperature, which makes the noodles crispy.

How did Kawara soba come into being?Where can I eat?

Kawara soba is a local dish of Shimonoseki City, Yamaguchi Prefecture in Japan.

The owner of a hot spring inn in the area tried to create a local specialty.

The owner created Kawara soba after hearing a story about how warriors in the area used to grill vegetables and meat on the roof tiles during battles.

Since then, kawara soba has become a popular local dish.

What does Kawara soba taste like?

The first characteristic is that the soba noodles are crispy because they are on top of hot kawara.

And these soba noodles are kneaded with Japanese tea.

Look closely and you’ll see the soba noodles are green!
(Soba noodles, common in Japan, are usually brown.)

Toppings include baked egg, pork, lemon, and grated radish.

This is then dipped into the soup a little at a time and eaten.
The soba noodles have a slight bitterness, the egg, pork, and broth have a slight sweetness, and then the lemon adds a sour note.

It is a pity that I can’t communicate it well in English (laugh), but I felt that kawara soba is a different dish from what is generally called “soba” in Japan.

It has a strong visual impact, so please try it when you come to Yamaguchi Prefecture in Japan.