Nagoya

Throughout Asia, noodles are considered one of the staple foods. This is particularly true in Japan, where there are numerous types of ‘men’ [noodle] dishes that you can enjoy. Here in Aichi, the local delicacy is kishimen, a flat udon noodle that has more than a passing appearance to tagliatelle pasta, which means that in and around Nagoya, there are a load of great places to ‘go native’ and try it out for yourself. What is Kishimen? With its ideal noodle-making climate and the Kiso River’s clear waters, Nagoya is famed for its superlative noodle. Chief amongst this is kishimen as, with its broad shape, it is ideal for catching the thick, full-flavored soup beloved of Nagoyans. There is some debate as to where the name ‘kishimen’ comes from. In kanji script, it is written ‘go stone noodle,’ perhaps signifying that the name derives from its appearance being similar to the flat, stone pieces used in the chess-like game of Go. However, another story has it that the name honors a chef who was particularly renowned for his noodles, and as he came from an area called Kishi, thus in time Kishu-men became kishimen. And yet another legend states that…