Hōtō

Hōtō(ほうとう)is anoodle soupand popularregional dishoriginating fromYamanashi,Japanmade by stewing flatudonnoodles andvegetablesinmiso soup. Thoughhōtōis commonly recognized as a variant ofudon, locals do not consider it to be anudondish because the dough is prepared in the style of dumplings rather than noodles.
Wheat farming and theflour culturewere brought into Yamanashi prefecture due to shortages in local rice crops.Sericulturehad turned lands traditionally reserved for rice crops into silk farms, and flour products like hōtō were invented as a means to counter food shortages which arose from this change in agriculture.
This transition may have begun in Yamanashi's Gunnai region, where rice farming was impossible to start due to cold temperature and large amounts of volcanic debris embedded into the soil. Wheat farming spread through the rest of the prefecture and into the neighboringNagano,Shizuoka,Saitama, andGunmaprefectures, where similar cuisine using flour dough and soup can also be found. For example, a dish callednibōtō, which is identical tohōtōexcept with asoy sauce-flavored soup, can be found throughout Saitama and Gunma prefectures.
Another prevalent theory suggests that hōtō was invented by local warlordTakeda Shingen. The redevelopment of industry and commerce afterWorld War IImade tourism the prefecture's most profitable enterprise, and the image of Takeda Shingen was used frequently to promote the area's regional products. Locals sought to popularize hōtō as a tourist food by advertising it as the meal consumed by Takeda Shingen and his soldiers before each battle. Modern-day tourists can enjoy hōtō in numerous local restaurants and in rather unlikely locations such as coffee shops and ice cream parlors.
A more extreme branch of these advertisements claims that the descendants of the Takeda clan introduced the recipe to the Tokugawa shogunate, who then used it to developNagoya'smiso-nikomi udon. The validity of this statement remains highly speculative.
The namehōtōis commonly thought to be aeuphonyofhakutaku(餺飥); the name forudonflour after it has been kneaded and cut.
Thekanji"餺飥" first appeared inNara perioddictionaries, and their reading is listed in dictionaries of thecloistered ruleperiod ashautau, showing that the pronunciation had already begun to transform into the readinghōtō. Thoughhōtōwas introduced to Japan far earlier thanudon, both names are believed to have originated fromChina. For instance, in modern-dayShanxi provinceof China, the wordwontonis written with similar kanji (餛飩), and is pronounced "hōtō." TheSouthern SongpoetLu You(1125-1210) mentioned 馎饦 in one of his poems.
Local linguists point out that the word is used inEdo perioddocuments to describe all sorts of flour products, including flour made from non-wheat crops. In the local dialect, the word for flour ishatakimono, while the local word for grinding crops into powder ishataku. Some linguists theorize that hōtō actually originated from these local words when flour was turned into a popular dish.
Other linguists disagree with the Chinese origin theory because there is no conclusive evidence that the word originated from China. They argue that popular acceptance ofhōtōas a cuisine found exclusively in the Yamanashi area voids theories stating that the word was imported from overseas. However, from a historical viewpoint, the wordhatakufirst appears in documents around 1484 in theMuromachi period, whilehōtōorhautaucan be found much earlier in writings such asThe Pillow Book. This contradicts the idea thathatakuwas the basis for the name of the dish.
The word can also be thought of as a euphony of "宝刀" or "放蕩". For "宝刀" (treasure sword), the given explanation is that Takeda Shingen cut the ingredients for the dish with his own sword. However, linguists tend to view this idea as a clever play on words in an advertisement campaign rather than a legitimate theory.
The dough is kneaded with bare hands in a wooden bowl, and stretched out to dry. It is then folded over and cut into large pieces with akitchen knife. Unlikeudon,hōtōrequires a tougher texture of dough, brought about by the amount ofgluten, and the dough is not mixed with salt or left to sit. One peculiarity is that the noodles do not need to beparboiled; they are boiled raw along with the other ingredients.
It is generally thought that the best taste is brought out by boiling pumpkin in themisosoup until it becomes tender and melts into pieces. Thedashi(soup base) is made fromniboshi, which are often left in the soup in home-cooked meals. Vegetables differ by season;negi,onions, andpotatoesare commonly included during the summer, whiletaro,carrots, andChinese cabbagemake up the winter ingredients, along with various types ofmushroomssuch asshiitakeandshimeji.Porkorchickencan be included by preference. In terms of nutrition value, hōtō provides large amounts ofstarchfrom the noodles and potatoes, and vitamins andfiberfrom the soup and vegetables.
Most hōtō noodles are wider and flatter compared to regular udon noodles. Though it is a hearty meal on its own, it can be served withwhite ricein the same manner as miso soup. Some restaurants will serve hōtō with very thick, heavy noodles in large iron pots to bring about a voluminous feeling reminiscent ofnabemonoand othersteamboatdishes.
Azuki-bōtō(小豆ぼうとう,azuki bōtō)refers tored bean soupwithhōtōnoodles added instead of the traditionalmochiorshiratama. Though red bean soup usually has a watery texture,azuki-bōtōconsists of a thick, gluey stew, which is placed on thehōtōnoodles and eaten likebotamochi. A local dish fromŌita Prefecturecalledyaseuma(やせうま)is extremely similar toazuki-bōtō, except sweeter and considered to be more of a snack rather than a meal. In this sense,hōtōdiffers significantly from the modern categorization ofudon.Azuki-bōtōis not common, even within Yamanashi prefecture, and is usually only found in the oldKai provinceregion. However, some local chain restaurants listazuki-bōtōon their regular menu.
It is customary for stores in Yamanashi prefecture to displayShingen Takeda'sFūrinkazanbattle flag to signify thathōtōis being served. According to the people of Yamanashi,hōtōandudonare completely different and unrelated foods (similar to the waykishimen(きしめん)is regarded by the people of Nagoya).
Traditionally, each household would knead the dough from flour on their own. It was a popular dish amongst women who worked all day outside and needed to prepare dinner for a large farming family because the recipe and the process of makinghōtōwas not time-consuming or complicated. The soup usually consisted of larger quantities of vegetables than noodles, since flour was scarce and expensive. Many households reserved noodles as a treat served only to distinguished guests.
As modernization and industrialization of Japan continued, rice became the mainstay and the popularity ofhōtōas a household dish dwindled. Supermarkets in Yamanashi now sell pre-packagedhōtōnoodles andmisopaste, and very few households go through the process of kneading their own flour anymore.Hōtōhas gradually become standardized in taste and recipe, disappearing from household meals.
Many chain restaurants in Yamanashi have picked up onhōtōas a marketable food. Some only serve it in the traditional style with a miso base, while others use the aforementioned red bean soup orgochujangto create more variety in taste. Non-traditional ingredients such asoysters,turtle, andcrabmay also be included in some cases. These versions are often regarded as monstrosities by local residents, as the original simple dish arose out of poverty, but they have gained popularity among tourists.