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January swung into full gear with the classes drawing monkeys to celebrate the Year of the Monkey on a banner. The banner was posted in the front hallway of the school for all to see the fourth grade monkey shines. On January 26th and 27th, we
all had a chance to make, and take home, soba.
The
word for buckwheat noodles, soba, is a homonym of the word soba meaning near.
Japanese love plays on words. The last thing eaten on New Year's Eve is soba
when it is called toshi-koshi soba
which means the year is passing soba. These are eaten to make sure that people who eat them
will live long and will live well and to mark the nearness of a new year.
Noodles have a long history in Japan. The types of noodles eaten in Japan can be
divided into two types: the buckwheat noodles which are found in Tokyo and
northern Japan, and the wheat noodles of Osaka and southern Japan. The fact that
there is a division in the types of noodles used really shows the weather
differences between these two areas. Buckwheat is grown in a cold climate.
Tokyo, and the surrounding areas, are cold. Wheat is a warmer weather plant. It
grows well from Osaka right down to southernmost Kyushu. People there tend to
eat the white udon noodles. Soba
noodles are thin and brownish gray in color. To make them you will need water,
salt and lots of flour. You have to knead the dough until it is soft but firm.
It cannot be sticky either. The reason for all this kneading is that you need to
break down the gluten in the wheat. Gluten is what makes the dough stick to
itself and be flexible--like elastic, so that the noodles don't break apart when
they are boiled. The flour is going to be at just the right stage when it feels
like your earlobe between your fingers. Once that is done, then you let it rest
for a bit to firm up. To cut it, you roll out the dough in a rectangle shape and
then fold it three times. Then, you need to cut it with a very sharp knife into
very thin strips that will dry a bit before you cook them.
Written by Bridgette Fincher
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