🍜 Oshibori Udon
“Oshibori Udon” is a local dish that originated from the Sakaki area in Hanishina County. It is made by grating spicy daikon radish and squeezing out its juice. “Oshibori udon” is characterized by the use of squeezed daikon juice instead of dashi broth. The word “oshibori” in oshibori udon refers to this unique feature. This dish became popular during the Edo period (1603-1868) to the Meiji period (1868-1912). It gained fame because of the excellent combination of spicy daikon squeezed soup and Shinshu miso (rice miso). The locals used miso as a dipping sauce for udon and soba noodles. The radish used for oshibori udon is “Nezumi daikon,” a specialty of Sakaki Town. Although the daikon is surprisingly spicy, the squeezed soup is served with mild Shinshu miso dissolved in it. The deep taste of the spiciness is followed by a hint of sweetness, which makes you sweat when you eat it. It warms the body from the core, and the local people describe the taste as “amamokura”. Togakushi and Chikuma City (formerly Koshoku City and Tokura Town) in the prefecture also have oshiborisoba, which is cold soba noodles dipped in a dipping sauce made from squeezed juice of spicy daikon radish and miso.