🍱 Somage

“Somage” is a term rooted in “soma” (buckwheat) and “ge” (porridge). In Shiiba Village, the traditional dish “somage” refers to buckwheat dumplings prepared in a vegetable soup, seasoned with a broth made from dried sardines. In contrast, Kagoshima prefecture's somage involves boiling sweet potatoes, mashing them while hot, and adding buckwheat flour to create a ball-like shape. In some variations, red bean paste is added inside. In Miyakonojo City, a similar dish is prepared by mixing buckwheat flour into boiled sweet potatoes. This dish is known as sobagai around Shiiba Village and the Kashiwabara area, and was commonly eaten until around wartime. It was prepared by making a paste from sweet potatoes, mixing in buckwheat flour after removing it from heat, and then slicing it for consumption. Buckwheat, an annual plant from the knotweed family, is well-suited to less fertile and cool mountainous areas. It has been cultivated since the 8th century. Once the buckwheat seeds were sown and the grains developed, they were harvested, bundled, thoroughly dried, and then threshed on a straw mat to remove the grains. These grains were then ground into flour using a stone mill. Although buckwheat cultivation was partly a measure to conserve rice, somage is a remarkable buckwheat dish that enhances the subdued flavors of wild and garden vegetables using oil and condiments, resulting in a rich and fresh taste.