# Iya soba ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

**Cuisine Name**: Iya soba

**Region**: Our Regional Cuisines

## Main Lore Areas
Iya area, Miyoshi City

## Main Ingredients Used
buckwheat

## History, Origin, and Related Events
The Iya area of Miyoshi City is famous for soba (buckwheat noodles). It is said that when the Heike clan, defeated in the Genpei War, fled to Iya, they began to grow buckwheat seeds in the area. Since rice is difficult to grow in Iya, buckwheat, which is easy to grow and has a short growing season, has become a staple food. Iya soba is a local dish representative of the Iya region. Made with 100% local buckwheat flour, it is the soul food of the Iya region. It is also called "soba-kiri" (buckwheat noodles) because the noodles are easily cut and become thick and short. Fresh water from Iya is used for the water used to knead the buckwheat flour and for the soup stock, and Iya ingredients are also used for the ingredients. Other soba dishes, such as "buckwheat rice porridge," in which the buckwheat seeds are used as they are, are also prepared in abundance in Iya.

## Opportunities and Times of Eating Habits
In the Iya region, buckwheat seeds are sown in August, and harvested two months later in October. The harvested buckwheat seeds are dried in the sun for about a month, then threshed and milled to make soba. Iya soba was served on festive occasions and as a hospitality dish for gatherings.

## How to Eat
It is said that in the old days, buckwheat flour was made by the women of each household. When many people were coming, they would start preparing the buckwheat flour the day before and prepare it for the reception. The buckwheat flour was then mixed with water from the Iya Valley, kneaded, stretched, and cut into thin strips with a knife. The noodles are made without adding any flour, which makes them shorter and easier to cut. The soba is boiled, served in a bowl, and poured with warm dashi broth. Ingredients include deep-fried tofu, fish paste, green onions, and sometimes wild vegetables.

## Efforts for Preservation and Succession
It is commonly made at home and served at several restaurants in Iya. It is also served at events held in Oboke and Iya, and is sold and offered at hotels, cafeterias, and souvenir stores. In recent years, some products can be purchased by mail order, making it easily available even in distant places and widely popular throughout the country.

## Ingredients
- buckwheat flour: 300g
- Water: 160ml
- kamaboko (dried fish paste): 40g
- deep-fried tofu: 2 pieces
- Green onion leaves: 20g
- Soup] Water: 1400ml
- Soup] dried sardines: 20g
- Soup] Dashi Kombu: 8g
- Soup] Bonito flakes: 20g
- Soup] Soy sauce: 80ml
- Soup] Mirin (sweet cooking sake): 20ml
- Battering powder (buckwheat flour): a little

## Recipe
1. 1. Sift the buckwheat flour.
2. 2. Add water little by little to 1, and mix it into the flour.
3. 3. Knead the buckwheat flour into a firm ball and knead it many times to make it stronger.
4. 4. Sprinkle flour on the noodle stand and roll out the buckwheat flour with a rolling pin.
5. 5. When the dough is about 2mm thick, fold the dough in two and cut into 2mm pieces.
6. 6. After cutting, dust with flour and loosen the dough so that it does not stick to the dough.
7. 7. Boil 6 in boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes, drain in a colander, rinse under cold water, drain well, and serve in a bowl.
8. 8. Put kombu, niboshi (dried sardines with dashi packet) and water in a pot and soak for 2 to 3 hours.
9. 9. When kombu starts to foam, take it out. When it comes to a boil, add dried bonito flakes in the dashi packet, heat for 2 to 3 minutes, turn off the heat, and strain.
10. 10. Cut kamaboko into thin slices, deep-fried tofu into 2 cm long strips, and leaf green onion into small pieces.
11. 11. Add light soy sauce and mirin to the broth in step 9 and bring to a simmer (tsuyu). add tsuyu to the bowl from step 7 and garnish with fish paste, deep-fried tofu and scallions.

## Provider Information
provider : Kumiko Nagao, Tokushima Bunri University Junior College

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