Soba Noodles, a Japanese delight.

If you have never heard of Soba you are probably wondering what Soba Noodles are, well you are in the right place. Soba noodles as it's name indicates is a type of noodles are made out of soba (soba-ko) which is the Japanese name for buckwheat. In Japan Soba can actually refer to any type of thin noodle, as long as they are as thin as spaghetti or thiner. The thick wheat noodles are known as Udon. However, soba is the noodle of choice for the Tokyoites making Soba noodles a dish that you can enjoy anywhere from fast food restaurants and train stations throughout Japan to expensive speciality restaurants.

It takes about three months for the the buckwheat to be ready for harvest, making harvest time only four times a year. Soba noodles make out of fresh- harvested buckwheat is called shin soba, and most of the soba 'fans' think this is the best way to have a bowl of soba noodles.

When it comes to ways of serving this dish there is a great variety of cold and hot Soba noodle recipes and they are traditionally eaten with chopsticks. Unlike italian pasta for this noodle you don't need to salt the water and instead of cooking them in the 'rolling boil' water recommended for pasta they are cook in just simmering water. The drain and chilled Soba noodles recipes are common during the summer and the hot ones with with a soy-based dashi broth, similar to a noodle soup are usually served during the winter.

Chilled Soba noodles are commonly garnished with nori seaweed and a dipping sauce made of dashi broth sweetened soy sauce and mirin. This dipping souce is known as Soba tsuyu. Hot Soba noodles dishes are most of the times noodle soup serve in a bowl of hot tsuyu and garnish with sliced scallion and mixed chilli powder known as shichimi togarashi.