Somen

Somen

Thin wheat noodles 

素麺、そうめん

A delicious summer dish. Somen are made from thin, dried wheat noodles which are boiled just shortly and then refreshed in cold water. The noodles are served with a chilled dipping broth and finely sliced negi (like the somen refreshed in chilled water). To give a cool feeling, the noodles can be served in glass bowls with chunks of ice.

Thicker cold wheat noodles are called hiyamugi or hiyashi udon. Somen can also be served in hot soup (like hot udon or hot soba) and is then called nyumen, a winter dish. There are also flavored types of somen, for example with green tea powder (matcha somen).

The production of the noodles actually takes place in winter. The dough is stretched with the help of vegetable oil to make very thin strips and then air dried. Small producers dry their noodles in sunlight, as in the Miwa village in Nara, a traditional production center, where on winter days you can see the noodles hanging on racks, a beautiful sight. A famous industrial somen producer in Tatsuno (Hyogo Prefecture) is Ibonoito.

Japanese Food Dictionary