, ''somyeon'' ( ko, 소면; 素麵), or ''sùmiàn'' () is a very thin noodle made of

wheat flour Wheat flour is a powder made from the grinding of wheat used for human consumption. Wheat varieties are called "soft" or "weak" if gluten content is low, and are called "hard" or "strong" if they have high gluten content. Hard flour, or ''bread ...

, less than 1.3 mm in diameter. The noodles are used extensively in East Asian cuisines. Japanese ''sōmen'' 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 Hiyamugi ( ja, 冷麦, lit=chilled wheat) are very thin dried Japanese noodles made of wheat. They are similar to but slightly thicker than the thinnest Japanese noodle type called ''sōmen''. The Western style noodle that most closely resembles ' ...

'', which is knife-cut. In Japan, ''sōmen'' is usually served cold with a light dipping sauce called ''tsuyu''. South Korean ''somyeon'' may be eaten in hot or cold noodle soups. ''Sōmen'' is typically high in

sodium Sodium is a chemical element with the symbol Na (from Latin ''natrium'') and atomic number 11. It is a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive metal. Sodium is an alkali metal, being in group 1 of the periodic table. Its only stable iso ...

. Other names are ''nyūmen'' (煮麺) in Japanese, for a version served warm in soup, and the Chinese name ''guàmiàn'' (), which can be further classified into ''lóngxū'' () for the variant with long and thin strands and ''fèngwei'' () for the variant with flat and broad strands.

East Asian cuisines

Japan

Sōmen are usually served cold with a light flavored dipping sauceHiking in Japan - Richard Ryall, Craig McLachlan, David Joll
p. 177. or ''tsuyu''. The tsuyu is usually a ''

katsuobushi is simmered, smoked and fermented skipjack tuna (''Katsuwonus pelamis'', sometimes referred to as bonito). It is also known as bonito flakes. ''Katsuobushi'' or similarly prepared fish is also known as . Shaved ''katsuobushi'' and dried ke ...

''-based sauce that can be flavored with Japanese bunching onion,

ginger Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice A spice is a seed, fruit, root, bark, or other plant substance primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices ...

, or '' myoga''. In the summer, sōmen chilled with ice is a popular meal to help stay cool. Sōmen served in hot soup is usually called ''nyūmen'' and eaten in the winter, just like

soba Soba ( or , "buckwheat") is a thin Japanese noodle made from buckwheat. The noodles are served either chilled with a dipping sauce, or hot in a noodle soup. The variety ''Nagano soba'' includes wheat flour. In Japan, soba noodles can be found i ...

udon Udon ( or ) is a thick noodle made from wheat flour, used in Japanese cuisine. It is a comfort food for many Japanese people. There are a variety of ways it is prepared and served. Its simplest form is in a hot soup as with a mild broth called ...

are. Some restaurants offer ''nagashi-sōmen'' (流しそうめん flowing noodles) in the summer. The noodles are placed in a long flume of

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, bu ...

across the length of the restaurant. The flume carries clear, ice-cold water. As the sōmen pass by, diners pluck them out with their

chopsticks Chopsticks ( or ; Pinyin: ''kuaizi'' or ''zhu'') are shaped pairs of equal-length sticks of China, Chinese origin that have been used as Kitchen utensil, kitchen and List of eating utensils, eating utensils in most of East Asia, East and Southe ...

and dip them in tsuyu. 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. File:Simple somen.jpg, Sōmen (in large white bowl at upper-right) with assorted toppings File:Nagashi somen by tasteful tn.jpg, ''Nagashi-sōmen''

South Korea

Korean cuisine Korean cuisine has evolved through centuries of social and political change. Originating from ancient agricultural and nomadic traditions in Korea and southern Manchuria, Korean cuisine reflects a complex interaction of the natural envi ...

, ''somyeon'' is used in hot and cold noodles soups such as ''

janchi-guksu ''Janchi-guksu'' (Korean: 잔치국수) or banquet noodles is a Korean noodle dish consisting of wheat flour noodles in a light broth made from anchovy and sometimes also '' dasima'' (kelp). Beef broth may be substituted for the anchovy broth. I ...

'' (banquet noodles) and ''

kong-guksu ''Kong-guksu'' * () or noodles in cold soybean soup is a seasonal Korean noodle dish served in a cold soy milk broth. In the Korean language, kong means soybean and guksu means noodles. It comprises noodles made with wheat flour and soup made ...

'' (noodles in cold soybean soup), as well as soupless noodle dishes such as ''

bibim-guksu Bibim-guksu * () or spicy noodles, a cold dish made with very thin wheat flour noodles called '' somyeon'' (素麵) with added flavorings, is one of the most popular traditional noodle dishes in Korean cuisine and especially popular during su ...

'' (mixed noodles). It is often served with spicy '' anju'' (food that accompanies alcoholic drink) such as '' golbaengi-muchim'' (moon snail salad). File:Janchi-guksu.jpg, ''

Janchi-guksu ''Janchi-guksu'' (Korean: 잔치국수) or banquet noodles is a Korean noodle dish consisting of wheat flour noodles in a light broth made from anchovy and sometimes also '' dasima'' (kelp). Beef broth may be substituted for the anchovy broth. I ...

'' File:Korean noodles-Kongguksu-01.jpg, ''

Kong-guksu ''Kong-guksu'' * () or noodles in cold soybean soup is a seasonal Korean noodle dish served in a cold soy milk broth. In the Korean language, kong means soybean and guksu means noodles. It comprises noodles made with wheat flour and soup made ...

'' File:Bibim-guksu.jpg, ''

Bibim-guksu Bibim-guksu * () or spicy noodles, a cold dish made with very thin wheat flour noodles called '' somyeon'' (素麵) with added flavorings, is one of the most popular traditional noodle dishes in Korean cuisine and especially popular during su ...

'' File:Golbaengi-muchim.jpg, '' Golbaengi-muchim'' served with boiled ''somyeon''

Gallery

File:Five-colour somyeon 1.jpg, Five-colour ''somyeon'' File:Somyeon.jpg, Boiled ''somyeon''

References

External links