Just as Okonomiyaki was a regional delicacy in Hiroshima, so Udon is the prized food here in Kagawa. Kagawa is the one of the smallest prefectures in Japan and was once called Sanuki, so Sanuki Udon are now know all over the country.
"
Udon (Hiragana:うどん; Kanji:饂飩, rarely 餛飩; Traditional Chinese: 烏冬, sometimes 烏冬麵) is a type of thick wheat-based noodle popular in Japanese cuisine.
Udon is usually served hot as noodle soup in a mildly flavored broth, in its simplest form as bukkake udon, served in kakejiru made of dashi, Japanese soy sauce (shōyu), and mirin. It is usually topped with thinly chopped scallions. Other common toppings include tempura, often shrimp or kakiage (a type of mixed tempura fritter), or abura age, a type of deep-fried tofu pockets seasoned with sugar, mirin, and soy sauce. A thin slice of kamaboko, a halfmoon-shaped fish cake, is often added. Shichimi and beni shoga can be added to taste.The flavor of broth and topping vary from region to region. Usually, dark brown broth, made from dark soy sauce (koikuchi shōyu) is used in eastern Japan, and light brown broth, made from light soy sauce (usukuchi shōyu) is used in western Japan. This is even noticeable in packaged instant noodles, which are often sold in two different versions for east and west."Taken from
www.wikipedia.comThere are many styles of Udon, most of which are posted below -
Kake udon – Hot udon in broth topped with thinly sliced green onions, and perhaps a slice of kamaboko.
Kitsune udon – Topped with abura age (sweetened deep-fried tofu pockets).
Tempura udon – Topped with tempura, especially shrimp, or kakiage, a type of mixed tempura fritter.
Tanuki udon (in Kanto) or
Haikara udon (in Kansai) – Topped with tenkasu (deep-fried tempura batter).
Tsukimi udon – Topped with raw egg, which poaches in the hot soup.
Wakame udon – Topped with wakame, a dark green sea vegetable.
Karē udon – "Curry udon." Udon in a soup made of Japanese curry. May also include meat or vegetables.
Chikara udon – "Power udon." Topped with toasted mochi rice cakes. A hearty dish.
Sutamina udon – "Stamina udon." Udon with various hearty ingredients, usually including meat, a raw egg, and vegetables.
Nabeyaki udon – A sort of udon hot-pot, with seafood and vegetables cooked in a nabe, or metal pot.
Kamaage udon – Served in a communal hot-pot with hot water, and accompanied by a hot dipping sauce of dashi and soy sauce.
Udonsuki – Udon cooked in the manner of sukiyaki.
Yakiudon – Stir-fried udon in soy-based sauce, prepared in a similar manner to yakisoba. This originated in Kitakyushu of Fukuoka Prefecture. (Note that while yakiudon is made with udon, yakisoba is not made from buckwheat soba, but with steamed Chinese-style ramen.)
Misonikomi udon – Hard udon noodles simmered in red miso soup. The soup generally contains chicken, a floating cracked raw egg that is stirred in by the eater, kamaboko, vegetables and tubers. The noodles are extremely firm in order to stand up to the prolonged simmering in the soup; additionally, the noodles do not contain salt, so as to avoid over-salting from the salt in the miso.
Niku udon - Udon with meat, usually beef or pork.
ColdZaru udon – Chilled udon noodles topped with shredded nori and served on a zaru (笊 or ざる), a sieve-like bamboo tray. Accompanied by a chilled dipping sauce, usually a strong mixture of dashi, mirin, and shoyu. Eaten with wasabi or grated ginger.
Bukkake udon – Cold udon served with various toppings liberally sprinkled on top. It may include: tororo – puree of, or grated yamaimo (a Japanese yam with a slimy texture) oroshi – grated daikon radish natto – sticky fermented soybeans okra – fresh sliced okra kijoyu udon – served in a really cold soup of raw (unpasteurized) soy sauce and sudachi (a type of citrus) juice, sometimes with a bit of grated daikon.
Here are some more links to sites about Udon!
http://www.city.takamatsu.kagawa.jp/ENGLISH/kankou/seto/tokusan/http://www.ec.kagawa-u.ac.jp/~tetsuta/udon-j.html
