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Nishin soba(Herring soba) ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

  • Hokkaido Prefecture

    Nishin soba(Herring soba)

Nishin soba(Herring soba)

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  • Main lore areas

    All over Hokkaido

  • Main ingredients used

    Herring, soba

  • History/origin/related events

    "Nishin soba(Herring soba)" is a local dish of Hokkaido, made by boiling and sweetening dried herring known as “Migaki herring” and putting it on soba. Kyoto is famous for herring soba, but it has also been eaten in Hokkaido for a long time. Kyoto's "Nishin soba" is lightly seasoned with kombu seaweed and light soy sauce, while in Hokkaido, it is seasoned strongly, resulting in a slightly sweet soup.
    From the late Edo period to the Meiji period, herring fishing was popular along the coast of Hokkaido. In spring, when large schools of herring rush to the coast to spawn, a phenomenon known as “kuki” in which the sea was dyed pure white could be observed. In the Edo period, when freezing technology was not yet developed, large quantities of herring were dried and preserved as migaki herring so that they could be kept for a long time. "Migaki herring", which is a source of protein, became a valuable preserved food nationwide and was transported from Hokkaido to Honshu on "Kitamae ships". In this way, large amounts of "Migaki herring" were transported to Kyoto and other areas, and herring cuisine evolved outside of Hokkaido as well.
    During the Meiji period, herring catches peaked, but from around the 1950s onwards, the occurrences of "kuki" decreased sharply, and herring became almost impossible to catch. However, due to the remnants of its heyday, there are still herring dishes using "Migaki herring", such as "Nishin soba", in Hokkaido, Kyoto, and other parts of the country.
    "Nishin soba" is said to have originated in Kyoto, but Hokkaido's "Nishin soba" is said to have its roots in a recipe handed down by" the Yokoyama family" , who were fishermen when herring fishing flourished in Esashi.

  • Opportunities and times of eating habits

    "Migaki herring" can be eaten easily all year round. It has long been popular among the common people, and there are many restaurants in Hokkaido that serve herring soba as a specialty dish. It can also be made at home.

  • How to eat

    First, the dried "migaki herring" is pre-boiled, then boiled thoroughly in soy sauce, sake, and sugar to sweeten it. When making it at home, it is easier to use a commercially available soft-type "migaki herring" that does not require rehydration.
    Pour soup stock made from dark soy sauce on top of the soba, then top it with the boiled and sweetened migaki herring to make herring soba. There is "Nishin soba", which is a combination of soba and hot soba, and cold "Nishin soba", which is cold soba with herring on top.

  • Efforts for Preservation and Succession

    (An outline of the stories, about the preservation society, social media use, and modern ideas like commercialization etc.)
    There are many restaurants in Hokkaido, mainly along the coast of the Sea of Japan, where you can enjoy "Nishin soba". Especially in Esashi, which is said to be the birthplace of this dish, there are famous restaurants that attract tourists from all over the country. It is also inherited as a home-cooked dish.

RECIPE

Ingredients (for 2 persons)

  • Soba noodles for 2 people
  • migaki herring 2
  • water 1／2 cup
  • soy sauce 1 1／2 tbsp
  • beet sugar 1 tbsp
  • sake 1 tbsp
  • ginger 1 piece
  • [Soba dipping sauce] water 4 cups
  • [Soba dipping sauce] soy sauce 4 tbsp
  • [Soba dipping sauce] mirin 4 tbsp
  • [Soba dipping sauce] bonito flakes handful
  • tororo kombu 2 pinches
  • long green onion 1／2

How to cook

  • 1. Cut the herring in half, add the water, seasonings, and shredded ginger to a pot, and bring to a boil. Slice the green onion diagonally.

  • 2. For the soba sauce, put the water, soy sauce, mirin, and bonito flakes in a pot and heat. Let it simmer for 1-2 minutes, turn off the heat, and when the bonito flakes have sunk, strain through a strainer.

  • 3. Place the boiled soba in a bowl containing the soba sauce and loosen it. Place the herring on top and garnish with green onion and tororo kombu.

provider : “Hokkaido local cuisine that we want to eat and share” (Sachiko Hoshizawa)

Recipes vary depending on the region and home.

Contact

Food Cultures Office, Overseas Market Development and Food Cultures Division, Food Industry Affairs Bureau, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

Tel:+81-3-3502-5516

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