🍜 Toshiake Udon (Udon Noodle for New Year)

Udon noodle has been eaten as an auspicious food to pray longevity since an ancient time because it is thick and long. "Toshiake Udon" is a custom to eat udon noodle with red/white ingredients after welcoming new year to be superstitious, and it's a new effort by "Sanuki Udon Promotion Council" in Kagawa Prefecture to promote new noodle eating events. It is eaten with something red until January 15th. It is prepared with wishing happiness all the year. "Sanuki Udon" is now famous nationally, but it has a long history. It is said that Kobo Daishi Kuukai (famous Japanese Buddhist monk) got to know about udon noodle when he travelled to China, and brought one to Japan in Nara Era (710AD~794AD). There were many crofts in Sanuki area, and it doesn't have much rain and is often suffered from drought, so the area was not suitable for growing rice. Therefore, rice was very luxurious food at that time and people made udon noodle from wheat flour instead of eating rice. Also, Sanuki area (currently Kagawa) suits for cultivating high-quality of wheat, and they caught plenty of high-quality of small sardine so that cooking tasty udon noodle was developed. These are considered as a reason why Sanuki area became famous for udon noodle.