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A source of excellent quality flour |
| Since early in its history, Sanuki had been known
as a producer of high-quality flour. Thanks to its
mild climate, moderate rainfall, rich soil and other
features, this area has long been well suited to
wheat crops. Thus, the udon made from this excellent
flour has the proper stickiness and elasticity,
is aromatic, and exhibits a mellow and agreeable
flavor. |
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Cultivation of Sanuki
wheat |
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A productive district known for salt-making |
| Japan is not blessed with sufficient
natural sources of readily accessible salt, such
as rock salt and salt lakes. Therefore, since olden
times, an extensive salt-making industry developed
that used seawater as the source. The Sanuki coast
line was particularly famous as a very important
salt-producing district because of the high tides
and long stretches of shallow water that extend
a great distance from the shore. As well, the weather
and climate of this district are ideal for salt
making, as the rainfall is relatively low throughout
the year. The region's abundant high-quality salt
became one of the principal ingredients of udon.
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Salt-making in the early
1900s |
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Sanuki-a noted center of soy sauce production |
| It is believed that soy sauce was
first brewed in Sanuki in the 1590s. This district
offered an ideal environment for soy sauce brewing,
and before long it became known as a center of high-quality
soy sauce. Eventually, Sanuki developed into one
of Japan's leading soy sauce producers. The flavorful
soy sauce from this district also became a stock
ingredient for udon. |
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Soy sauce-making in
the 1800s |
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The tasty iriko anchovy |
| The sea off Sanuki is a rich anchovy fishing ground,
and iriko (dried anchovy) has been used as an ingredient
in udon stock since olden times. Tasty Sanuki udon
was produced and cultivated with several high-quality
ingredients - flour and salt for the udon noodles;
soy sauce and iriko anchovies for the stock. These
ingredients were combined by the skilled hands of
the people of Sanuki. |
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