新そばはいつから? When does "Shin" (New) Soba start?

October 21, 2009: 季節 Seasons

信州のそば畑 A soba field in Nagano

日本で「女房と畳は新しい方がいい」って諺があるよね。信州では、もう1つな物の新しい時に皆が騒ぎます:そば。この時期は信州のあちらこちらでそば祭りが行われているけど、「新そば」は実際いつから?とよく聞かれます。
私のそばのコネ、戸隠の山口屋の山口さんに聞いてみました。答えは:彼らが自信を持って出せれる戸隠の新そばは11月1日からだそうです。品質をしっかり確認するのに時間がかかるようです。既に新そばと言っているものを出している店があるけれど、産地が違ったりするので、地元のいい新そばに当たってはゆっくり待たなきゃいけないそうです。

でも、その待つ価値がありますのでお楽しみに。

There's a saying in Japanese that basically translates as, "Wives and tatami mats are best when they are new." Here in Nagano, I think there is one more thing that people get excited about when new: soba. It seems everywhere you look nowadays, there's a Soba Festival going on somewhere in Nagano, and our guests often ask "When does Shin (New) Soba start?" So I checked with my soba man, Yamaguchi-san of Yamaguchi-ya soba restaurant in Togakushi. He told me that harvest has already started, but it takes time to process the soba and verify the quality of the crop. So his restaurant plans on starting New Soba on the first of November. Other restaurants may have already started serving New Soba, but you might want to verify whether or not they use local buckwheat.

So in order to get New Soba, you have to wait a little while longer. I promise, though, it will be worth the wait.

戸隠の山口屋そばレストランのHPはこちらClick here for the website of Yamaguchi-ya soba restaurant in Togakushi






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