Once a Luxury Dish

With its cool appearance and
smooth texture,
somen noodles have
long been loved as a
food that provides relief
from the midsummer heat.

The predecessor of somen,
known as 'sakubei',
originated during the
Nara period.

Sakubei was one of the
confectioneries that was
brought to Japan from ancient China
around the Nara period
along with the introduction of Buddhism.

In China, 'saku' meant
a thick rope, and
bei was a general term for
foods made by kneading
wheat flour and other ingredients.

Therefore, 'sakubei' meant
a thick, rope-shaped cake.

When it was first introduced, it was
prized as a luxury dish,
used to entertain guests,
presented to superiors or lords,
and at the time, somen was
a luxury dish that appeared
on the dining table
on special occasions.

Although there are various theories,
the place where this 'sakubei'
was adapted in Japan
to become the current somen
is considered to be
Sakurai City, Nara Prefecture,
known for Miwa somen.

The catalyst for this was
when a famine occurred in the
Yamato region, and it was
reborn as a preserved food.

It is said that high-quality
wheat from the Miwa region was
ground into flour, kneaded into sticks,
and dried to create something
close to the current shape
of somen.

Since ancient times, Mount Miwa and
its surrounding areas have had
clean water, and the
weather conditions, such as
low humidity and cold winds
blowing down in winter,
are considered to have been
most suitable for making somen.

Somen production began
in earnest during the Kamakura period,
and by the Muromachi period,
the current kanji characters for
'sakumen' or 'somen' (素麺)
began to be used.

Around this time, somen spread
as a tenshin (snack) for temples.

It became available to the
common people during the Edo period.

It seems it was especially
enjoyed during the Tanabata
and Obon seasons.

Also, around this time,
it was said that 'if you say somen, you mean Banshu; if you say Banshu, you mean somen,' and
what was celebrated throughout
Japan is the current
famous product of Hyogo Prefecture,
Ibonoito.

A story from that time
has been passed down to the present.
There is a record that during the
Sengoku period, Toyotomi Hideyoshi

ate the famous Banshu
somen at a banquet
held when he entered
Himeji Castle.

As a means of cooling off,
nagashi somen (flowing somen),
which uses cold well water or
clear mountain streams,
also began in the
Edo period.