Pasta has been a part of the every day food routine in Japan for centuries. There are many festivals when some interesting shapes of pasta are created to signify different saints. This might have originated in China, but in Japan the pasta and different types of noodles are part of the most popular menus in the restaurants. The reason might be the simple: quick and mouth-watering recipes that are enhanced by the ingestion of pastas. The main difference between Japanese and Italian pastas can be its recipe.  It’s mostly egg-less and rather than just a savory food rather it is considered versatile. Most Japanese eat the pasta in the morning, and even in the most posh restaurants you can find the pasta being served with the two or three side dishes.

Japanese use two different types of pasta, first being the buckwheat (soba) and other is wheat (udon and somen). The buckwheat is more thin and brownish, and it can be found on every dinner table in North Japan. In Kyoto and southern Japan, people tend to like udon more, which is a thick and chewy wheat variety and is usually enjoyed with simmered vegetables. The main difference of the service will be interesting for most as the Soba is served cold with a chilled sauce. The vermicelli type udon wheat is a southern favorite, and is served hot.

Handmade Pasta or mitoku is the other heart favorite here. This is a traditionally handmade craft lost in time, however you can find many shops carrying this and it is still prevalent in the cities for its uncomplicated and simple taste. The process of pasta making in Japan contains much more salt than the European version. It starts with the flour that is organic and stone grinded; the sea salt is added to start the gluten. Later it is kneaded and allowed to rest before putting it into different shapes and sizes. There are many health benefits of the multi-grain pasta, especially in the cold climate like Japan in the winter.

There are many shapes of  pasta commonly available from the long, think, continuous sheet, and strands. In the recent years the other shapes of the pasta are also getting popular too. After cutting, the pasta is left to dry for almost 30-40 hours and then it’s packed for shipping. There are many popular pasta restaurants in Japan. You can easily get freshly made pasta cooked and served by expert chefs. The majority of these fast food streets contain small carts serving pasta filled with exciting flavours with the te-uchi and udon. The best aspect of these pasta meals are the affordability. The steamy little pasta shops are a great place with the open kitchen where you can actually see the whole process of cooking from scratch. Chef will make the pasta slicing the fresh ingredients and afterwards make steaming mouth-watering delights.

Image: I Love Pasta