Soba

Soba noodles

Dried soba noodles
Type	Noodles
Place of origin	Japan
Serving temperature	Hot, Cold
Main ingredients	Buckwheat

Soba (そば or 蕎麦^?) (/ˈsoʊbə/, Japanese pronunciation: [soba]) is the Japanese name for buckwheat. It usually refers to thin noodles made from buckwheat flour, or a combination of buckwheat and wheat flours (Nagano soba). They contrast to thick wheat noodles, called udon. In Japan, the word can refer to any thin noodle. Soba noodles are served either chilled with a dipping sauce, or in hot broth as a noodle soup.

In Japan, soba noodles are served in a variety of settings: they are a popular inexpensive fast food at railway stations throughout Japan, but are also served by expensive specialty restaurants. Markets sell dried noodles and men-tsuyu, or instant noodle broth, to make home preparation easy. There are a wide variety of dishes, both hot for winter and cold for summer, using these noodles.

Soba is a good nutritional addition to a diet reliant on white rice and wheat flour. Thiamine, missing from white rice, is present in soba; eating thiamine (vitamin B1) can help prevent the disease beriberi. Soba contains all eight essential amino acids, including lysine, which is lacking in wheat flour. The tradition of eating soba arose in the Edo period.

Fagopyrum esculentum, Moench originating in Manchuria.