Updated 04-May-2020.
Mondo shtuff from around the internet, all about SOBA!
My botty best at summarizing from Wikipedia: soba noodles are thin noodles made from buckwheat flour . they contrast to thick wheat noodles, called udon . in japan, they can be found in a variety of settings, from “fast food dried noodles and men-tsuyu, or instant noodle broth, make home preparation easy . dried noodles can nutritionally complement other grains like white rice and wheat flour . soba contains all eight essential amino acids tradition of eating soba arose in the Edo period . beriberi can be prevented by regularly eating thiamine-rich . udon is often served in a similar manner . extra toppings can be added to both hot and cold soba . most toppings are added without much cooking, although some are deep-fried . the tsuyu is made of a strong mixture of dashi, sweetened soy sauce and mirin . many people think that the best way to experience the unique texture of hand-made soba noodles after the noodles are eaten, many people enjoy drinking the water in which the noodles were cooked (sobayu ), mixed with the leftover tsuyu . Mori soba (): Basic chilled the hot tsuyu is thinner than that used as a dipping sauce for chilled soba . popular garnishes are sliced long onion and shichimi tgarashi (mixed soba in broth topped with thinly sliced scallion, and perhaps a slice of kamaboko (fish cake) topped with aburaage (deep-fried tofu) Tempura so hot soba noodles in curry flavored broth topped with chicken/pork and thinly sliced scallion . topped with hot soup made with raw egg, which poaches in hot soup . hot so sobagaki : a chunk of dough made of buckwheat flour and hot water . in the tokyo area, there is also a tradition of giving out soba to new neighbors after a soba made with newly harvested buckwheat is called “shin-soba” in Japan, it is sweeter and more flavorful than regular . noodles are known as Shinshu Soba . Nagano has plenty of volcanic ash soil because of its highland location . it also has an extreme difference in temperatures . many famous soba production centers can be found across the prefecture . soba cutting courses are one of the major leisure activities of Nagano . the noodles are produced by mixing buckwheat flour with some wheat flour . only noodles containing 40% or more sobe flour can carry the roasted buckwheat kernels may be made into a grain tea called sobacha . hulls, or sobakawa (also called sobagara), are used to fill pillows . in Japan, ramen is traditionally called chka soba () or, before the end of the Second World War, shina . both mean “Chinese noodles”, though the word s Okinawa soba is also quite popular in the city of Campo Grande (Brazil) it is eaten at street markets or in special restaurants called “sobarias”.