The blog — Soba

Among the regional specialties of Niigata, hegi soba noodles intrigue with their ubiquity. Why "hegi"? It's a long story... Tokamachi is a city in the south of Niigata Prefecture, long renowned for its sericulture and – since silk is readily available – its kimono textile industry. To give a certain patina and enhance the colors of kimonos, funori seaweed, a perfectly edible panacea, is also used in the paper industry for its adhesive properties. Who had the idea one day to add this fabric glue to buckwheat flour for soba? It's unknown, but the result is firm and supple noodles...