Wanko soba facts for kids
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| Type | Japanese noodles |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Japan |
| Region or state | Iwate Prefecture |
| Main ingredients | Noodles (soba) |
Wanko soba (わんこそば) is a super fun and unique way to eat soba noodles from Iwate Prefecture in Japan. It's especially popular in the cities of Morioka and Hanamaki. When you try Wanko soba, you get tiny servings of noodles in small bowls. The exciting part is that as soon as you finish a bowl, it's quickly refilled! This keeps happening over and over again.
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The Story of Wanko Soba
The name wanko comes from the local language in Iwate Prefecture. It means "bowl", but it specifically refers to a small, wooden Japanese soup bowl. There are many interesting stories about how this special dish began.
A Festival Feast
One popular story tells of a wealthy landowner who was hosting a big festival. Over a hundred villagers and guests were there. It was a tradition to eat soba noodles at festivals. However, the cooking pots were very small, and there were too many people to feed! So, the soba noodles were served in tiny amounts to make sure everyone got some. This way, there was enough for all the hungry guests.
The Lord's Favorite Dish
Another story is about Nanbu Toshinao, a powerful lord from the Nanbu area. He stopped at a house in Hanamaki and asked for a meal. His helpers served him a local kind of soba in a small soup bowl. They were worried the lord might not like the simple, rustic food. But Lord Nanbu thought it was delicious! He kept asking for more servings. This story is said to be the start of the tradition where hosts keep serving small bowls until their guest is completely full and satisfied.
Modern Wanko Soba
While these stories are popular, the term wanko itself didn't become common until after World War II. This makes some people wonder if the old stories are exactly true.
In December 1957, the first annual Wanko soba eating contest was held in Hanamaki. People from many countries still come to this event today to see who can eat the most bowls of noodles!
Wanko soba is also famous as one of the Three Great Noodles of Morioka. The other two are Morioka Reimen and Morioka Jajamen.
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