Kagawa

Somen noodles handmade with traditional methods of Setouchi

Handmade Somen of Shodoshima Island

Making somen noodles started 400 years ago as subsidiary business in Shodoshima, during winter when the farms were less busy. All ingredients including wheat, salt, and sesame oil to put on the surface of the noodles were made within the island. The standard unit of 1 bundle of somen noodles in Shodoshima is “19 (?) in length, 50g in weight, and 320-350 noodles”. In Shodoshima, somen is eaten as “sembon bashi” at events such as 虫送りor Buddhist services, or among friends and families. Sembon bash is to place plenty of boiled somen in a huge bowl of well-water in summer and hot water in winter, and people from all the surrounding directions use their chopsticks to get their somen noodles from the bowl.