Sōmen (Japanese:素麺),somyeon (Korean: 소면;Hanja: 素麵), orsùmiàn (Chinese:素麵) orSoomin (Okinawan:素麺) is a very thinnoodle made ofwheat flour, less than 1.3 mm in diameter. The noodles are used extensively in East Asian cuisines. Japanesesōmen is made by stretching the dough with vegetable oil, forming thin strands that are then air dried for later use. This is distinct from a similar thin noodle,hiyamugi, which is knife-cut.
In Japan,sōmen is usually served cold with a light dipping sauce calledtsuyu. South Koreansomyeon may be eaten in hot or cold noodle soups.Sōmen is typically high insodium.[2]
The earliest record for what would later besōmen dates back to the Tang dynasty in 618-907 China. Around that time, the Japanese Imperial Court in Nara brought in some knotted pastry from China which they calledsakubei/索餅 (most likely Chinesemahua/麻花). Sakubei later evolved into somen first in modern-daySakurai, Nara's Miwa district[3] during theHeian Period and then evolved to become high-class Japanese cuisine served to emperors and nobles.[4]
Illustration of a tofu seller (right) and asōmen seller (left) byTosa Mitsunobu, from theSongs of the Seventy-one Craftsmen (七十一番職人歌合Shichijūichi-ban ShokuninUta-awase), a poetry anthology written around 1500
Sōmen are usually served cold with a light flavored dipping sauce[5] ortsuyu. The tsuyu is usually akatsuobushi-based sauce that can be flavored withJapanese bunching onion,ginger, ormyoga. In the summer, sōmen chilled with ice is a popular meal to help stay cool.
Sōmen served in hot soup is usually callednyūmen and eaten in the winter, just likesoba orudon are.
Some restaurants offernagashi-sōmen (流しそうめん flowing noodles) in the summer. The noodles are placed in a longflume ofbamboo[6] across the length of the restaurant. The flume carries clear, ice-cold water. As the sōmen pass by, diners pluck them out with theirchopsticks[6] and dip them intsuyu. Catching the noodles requires a fair amount of dexterity, but the noodles that are not caught by the time they get to the end usually are not eaten, so diners are pressured to catch as much as they can. A few luxury establishments put their sōmen in real streams so that diners can enjoy their meal in a beautiful garden setting. Machines have been designed to simulate this experience at home.[7]
InKorean cuisine,somyeon is used in hot and cold noodles soups such asjanchi-guksu (banquet noodles) andkong-guksu (noodles in cold soybean soup), as well as soupless noodle dishes such asbibim-guksu (mixed noodles). It is often served with spicyanju (food that accompanies alcoholic drink) such asgolbaengi-muchim (moon snail salad).
Media related toSomen at Wikimedia Commons
