🍜 Eggplant Somen

Ishikawa Prefecture was once known as a production area of the somen (thin noodles). In Wajima City, Okunoto, which used to be a major production area, the production of somen was rooted in the Muromachi period (1336 - 1573) and has a longer history than the lacquerware “Wajimanuri”. In the Edo period (1603-1868), the reputation grew even more, and it was exported to various regions. The common people used it as a specialty gift, and the famous brands were even used as a gift to the shogun (general). However, by the beginning of the Showa period (1926-1989), it declined as an industry, and the specialty was replaced by Wajimanuri. The "Daimon Somen" made in Tonami City's Daimon district in Toyama Prefecture is said to have been handed down from Noto through medicine peddlers in the late Edo period. The vestiges of the production center of somen can be seen in the local dish, "Eggplant Somen", eaten in Kanazawa City. “Eggplant Somen" is a dish of simmered eggplant and somen. Since the somen are simmered softly, they are eaten more like nimono (simmered dishes) than noodle dishes.