🍜 Saitama no udon

Saitama Prefecture, which produced Aizo Gonda, who devoted himself to the development of high-yield cultivation methods that increased wheat yields by four to five times, such as "barley steeping," is one of the leading udon kingdoms in Japan. Udon production is the second largest in Japan (according to the "Annual Report on Statistical Survey on Production of Rice and Wheat Processed Foods" by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in 2009), and although it has been decreasing compared to the past, it is still a major wheat-producing prefecture. In the past, wheat was widely grown in Saitama Prefecture as a back crop to rice. As a result, wheat has become a central part of the diet, and each region has developed a rich variety of foods using wheat. For example, in the northeastern part of the prefecture, udon noodles are handmade and have a strong and smooth texture; in the western part, udon noodles are served with dipping sauce and have a very strong texture and a brownish color; and in the central part of the prefecture, udon noodles are served along the riverside and are wide and chewy. The number of local dishes and "B-rank gourmet" foods that have taken root in the area since ancient times is said to number more than 20 in total. Today, in order to differentiate udon from other regions and express uniqueness, regional names and words that express characteristics are often added, but in the past, udon was almost always called "udon" in all regions.