What does “Sarashina (soba)” mean and where did it originate?(Sarashina/sarashiana)
region comprising most of Japan’s southwestern archipelago (esp. Okinawa Prefecture)old name of TokyoEdo-style soba (buckwheat noodles)sand pitbush
Soba restaurants serve soba made with Sarashina flour, a white flour ground from the soft center of the buckwheat seed. Along with Yabu and Sunaba, Sarashina is one of the three major soba restaurants in the Edo-mae area. Sarashina flour is also known as “ichiban-ko” (first flour) because it is made from the first part of the buckwheat seed that comes out when it is ground. Sarashina flour is characterized by the absence of colored sweet peel, resulting in white soba noodles with a delicate texture.
Sarashina originated in Shinshu. It is said that Horii Seiwemon, a native of Shinshu who was skilled in buckwheat noodle making, opened “Shinshu Sarashina Soba Restaurant Nunoya Tahei” in Edo at the recommendation of his feudal lord. The “family” of Sarashina is derived from the Hoshina family of Shinshu, who were the lords of the area.
