One of the best foods to eat during the hot summer in Japan is cold so-men noodles.
Japan’s five major so-men production: Miwa Somen in Nara Prefecture, Hanshu Somen in Hyogo Prefecture, Shodoshima Somen in Kagawa Prefecture, Handa Somen in Tokushima Prefecture, and Shimabara Hand-pulled Somen in Nagasaki Prefecture.
What we are introducing today is Shimabara hand-pulled so-men. It is produced in Minami-Shimabara City, located in the southern part of the Shimabara Peninsula in Nagasaki Prefecture. It is a specialty product that boasts the second largest production volume in Japan.
The characteristic of Shimabara hand-pulled so-men is its firmness. It is characterized by the fact that it does not fall apart when stewed in a pot.
So-men are made from flour, salt, water, and cottonseed oil.
Using traditional techniques, a 10-centimeter-long piece of so-men is stretched to about 30-40 centimeters, and eventually thinned to about 2 meters to make so-men.
So-men is often served with cold dipping soup and yakumi (condiments ). Please give it a try during the hot summer season!
