What is Kawara Soba?
In Shimonoseki city of Yamaguchi prefecture, there is a local cuisine called “Kawara Soba” which consists of tea noodle soba and various toppings that are served on a heated roof tile. The “Kawara” is the tile which is used as the roof of traditional Japanese houses. The ingredients used as toppings of Kawara Soba are normally, beef, eggs, seaweed, grated daikon radish, and lemon. You dip soba noodles into warm Mentsuyu, noodle soup base made with soy sauce and dashi, when you eat Kawara Soba.
Why heated on the tile instead of a pan?
The story says that the soldiers used to heat Kawara tiles to cook wild grass and meat on them in the 19th century during the civil war, which is believed to be the origin of Kawara Soba. It is a very casual dish but very tasty and you can only have it in Yamaguchi prefecture. The restaurant called “Takase” is famous for its Kawara Soba so if you are traveling in Yamaguchi prefecture and curious about the dish, check out the website below.