Do you know yakisoba, which is one of Japanese foods? In Fujinomiya city in Shizuoka prefecture, there’s a something like yakisoba, called Fujinomiya yakisoba. Today that is a very famous local gourmet. Of course the name of Fujinomiya comes from its city name. Fujinomiya yakisoba goes back 30 years. Do you know how it started? This time I’ll tell you about the story.
Fujinomiya yakisoba first appeared after WWⅡ. Fujinomiya city has many things people come to see, such as Mt. Fuji, sangen taisha which is a shrine for Mt. Fuji. Also, the city is surrounded by other prefectures, so many people came to Fujinomiya city for many reason back then. Some people said they wanted to take Fujinomiya yakisoba to their prefecture. But the technology of freezing and transportation system were not developed then, they faced a problem of yakisoba noodles going worse until they were back home. Then the local noodle company made special noodle for it. Today the noodle for Fujinomiya yakisoba is only produced in the local, Fujinomiya city. In other words, it might not be Fujinomiya yakisoba if the noodle is different from the real one. The special noodle is stirred with cabbages and nikukasu. What is nikukasu? It is pieces of lard. At first they used tenkasu, pieces of tempura but soon run out of them. Instead of tenkasu, nikukasu started to be used. Nikukasu has more good smell than tenkasu and it goes well with yakisoba. In the end it’s become one of the characteristic of Fujinomiya yakisoba. When you eat, put on powder of sardines. It makes Fujinomiya yakisoba much more delicious. What kind of powder is used is different from place to place. Some use mackerel and others use a mix of sardines and mackerel. It may be fun to enjoy the difference of the taste.
Fujinomiya yakisoba has won many contest. Today it is loved by not only the local but also tourists. When you visit Mt. Fuji in Fujinomiya city, don’t miss Fujinomiya yakisoba too!
