Sanuki udon
Alternative names[讃岐うどん] Error: {{Lang}}: invalid parameter: |3= (help)
TypeJapanese noodles (udon)
Place of origin Japan
Region or stateKagawa Prefecture
Main ingredientsWheat flour, salt

Summary

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Sanuki udon (讃岐うどん) has been the type of udon noodle most popular in the Kagawa prefecture in Japan,[1][2] but is now easily found throughout the neighboring Kansai region and much of Japan.[3] It is characterized by its square shape and flat edges with rather chewy texture,[4][5] and in an authentic sense, ingredients should be from among those local specialties as wheat flour,[6][7] Niboshi dried young sardines to cook broth for soup and dipping sauce. Many udon shops now specialize solely in sanuki-style chewy udon, and are usually identified by the text "sanuki" in hiragana (さぬき) appearing in the name of the shop or on the sign.

It is usually served as noodle soup or kamaage (udon) in which the noodles are served in plain hot water and eaten with dipping sauce. Originally popularized in the Kagawa Prefecture of Japan, nowadays various types of dashi is applied to the broth outside of Kagawa which varies in strength and flavor across Japan, such as made with more costly Katsuobushi.[8]

Sanuki udon are named after the previous name of the Kagawa Prefecture, Sanuki Province. It has been featured in the 2016 anime, Poco's Udon World.

Overview

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Branding Origin

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Udon is a particularly popular dish in Kagawa prefecture.

As of 2016, along with soba, the prefecture had the highest amount of such noodle shops per capita in all of Japan, as well as the highest wheat usage for udon noodles.[1]

Sanuki udon is a successful example of regional branding, as it has brought benefits such as increases in tourism, local udon production, and increased name recognition and attention.[9]

It was selected as first place out of 350 commodities in terms of regional branding strength in biennial surveys by Nikkei Research in 2008 and 2010.[10] Tourists cite udon as both the primary reason for coming to Kagawa prefecture as well as its charm.[11] In 2011, the "Udon Prefecture" tourism campaign was launched by the Kagawa prefectural government and the Kagawa Tourism Association.[12]

Since long ago, quality wheat flour,[13] salt,[14] soy sauce,[15] and dried sardines[15] known locally as 'iriko' have been local specialties of Sanuki Province (now Kagawa Prefecture), which were easy ingredients to obtain for udon.

References

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  1. ^ a b "人口1千人当たり「そば・うどん店」の事業所数" [Number of “Soba / Udon” establishments per 1,000 people] (in Japanese). Kagawa prefecture. 2015-04-14. Archived from the original on 2015-07-29. Retrieved 2016-04-24.
  2. ^ Ohashi, Manabu (March 2009). "Meisan-hin no toppu burando wa Sanuki udon 'manzoku-do' wa Ōita shītake, nīgatachamame……– Nikkei risāchi: '2008 chiiki burando senryaku sābei' (meisan-hin-hen) kara" [Sanuki udon is the best brand among specialty products. Oita's Shiitake mashrooms are "the most satisfying", followed by brown beans of Niigata Prefecture... — From Nikkei Research's "2008 Regional Brand Strategy Survey"]. Nikkei Glocal (120). Industrial Research Institute, Nihon Keizai Inc.: 40–45.
  3. ^ Isono, Takashi; Sunou, Akira; Ishizaki, Kazuyuki (December 2010). "讃岐うどんチェーン店における店舗立地の今日的展開に関する一考察 ([日本うどん学会 第8回全国大会]土佐の麺のものがたり)" [A study on the modern development of store distributions for Sanuki Udon chain stores ([The 8th National Congress of the Japan Udon Society] Tosa Noodle Story)]. うどん道: Japan Udon Journal (7). Utazu, Kagawa prefecture: Japan Udon Society: 42–52. JPNO 10950749.
  4. ^ OHISA, Naganori; HORIGANE Akemi K.; OHNO, Toshihisa; YOSHIDA, Mitsuru (November 2005). "Comparison of Hardness of Cooked Inaniwa-udon and Hardness of Other Wheat Noodles". Nippon Shokuhin Kagaku Kogaku Kaishi (in Japanese). 52 (11). Japanese Society for Food Science and Technology: 522–527. doi:10.3136/nskkk.52.522. ISSN 1341-027X.
  5. ^ Miki, Eizo (2006). "Texture of Udon". Journal of Japanese Society of Biorheology (in Japanese). 20 (2). Japanese Society of Biorheology: 32–39. doi:10.11262/jpnbr1987.20.2_32. ISSN 0913-4778.
  6. ^ Ooyama, Okihisa; Murakami, Yoshihiro; Okawa, Toshihiko (March 2002). "Kagawa ken no komugi shin-shōrei hinshu 'sanuki no yume 2000' no tokuchō" [Characteristics "Sanuki no Yume 2000", the new wheat variety for Kagawa Prefecture's incentive]. Bulletin of the Kagawa Prefecture Agricultural Experiment Station (in Japanese) (55). Kagawa Prefecture Agricultural Experiment Station: 9–16. ISSN 0374-8804.
  7. ^ Tada, Shinji (2003). "讃岐 うどん 用小 麦 「さぬ きの 夢 2000」 の 育成" [Nutrition for Sanuki Udon "Sanukino Yume 2000"]. Shikoku J.Crop Sci (in Japanese) (40). Shikoku branch, the Crop Science Society of Japan: 44–48. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  8. ^ Doi, Hiroshi; Nakama, Risa; Yamanaka, Yukako (December 2009). "Udon dashi-chū de no umami busshitsu no ganryō ni yoru chiiki hikaku (Nihon udon gakkai dai 7-kai zenkoku taikai -- men to kankō) -- (posutā sesshon)" [Poster presentation: Regional udon stock compared by content of umami substances. ("Noodle and Tourism": the 7th National Convention, Japan Udon Society)]. Udondō (in Japanese) (6). Japan Udon Society: 60–69.
  9. ^ a b 地域の経済2005 [Regional Economics 2005](内閣府政策統括官室、2005.10)
  10. ^ 地域ブランド戦略サーベイ[Regional Branding Strategy Survey](日経リサーチ[Nikkei Research]、2008、2010)。ブランドの総合力を示す名産品PQにおける順位[Ranking of Branding of Specialty Products]
  11. ^ a b c 平成22年 香川県観光客動態調査報告 [2010 Kagawa Prefecture Tourism Activity Report](香川県庁、2011)
  12. ^ (2011) うどん県 [Udon Prefecture]
  13. ^ 『和漢三才図会』[Illustrated Sino-Japanese Encyclopedia](正保3年(1713年)) 小麦の項目に「讃州丸亀の産を上等とす」とある。[In the wheat section, it states that Sanshū-Marugame quality is superior.]
  14. ^ さぬき野2004秋 人物伝 久米栄左衛門通賢(香川https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Wikipedia_15県庁)
  15. ^ a b a b さぬき野2003春 特集 さぬきうどんの魅力を探る [Spring 2003 Sanuki Feature: Investigation of Sanuki Udon's Charm](香川県庁)