Are a Japanese buckwheat noodle and are over 200 years older than the Italian noodle. So, is this the original noodle?! No. The credit for first noodle goes to the Chinese who have been making noodles for 4,000 years and are where both the Japanese and the Italians picked up the art from.
The Japanese enjoyed buckwheat noodles 200 years before the Italians created pasta. But they are not the original noddles! The credit goes to the Chinese who made noodles 4000 years ago.
Buckwheat is not in the cereal family like wheat. It is actually a fruit seed related to sorrel and rhubarb containing double the protein than wheat with all the essential amino acids. In addition, it can be harvested three times a year instead of just once. Buckwheat is not as well known as quinoa despite being more nutritious.
Soba noodles are eaten mostly in soups or just cold dipped in a concentrated soy sauce. However, I find it extremely versatile and use them more often than typical pasta. Here is a dish that I made with parsley pesto, chioga beets, fennel and kale.
2 cups chiffonade kale
1 cup chioga beets sliced thin in long strips
1/2 cup fennel bulb in equally sized strips
3 tbsp parsley pesto (find recipe in earlier post)
8 oz dry soba noodle. Look in asain markets to find the most bang for your buck, and also the highest percentage buckwheat. Check ingredients and look for highest protein count on package.
S/P to taste
Sauteed vegetables until tender. Cook soba in boiling water, rinse well (should be rinses at least once to remove coating of starch). Toss with freshly made parsley pesto. Garnish with Fennel fronds and enjoy.