A Never-ending Feast with Wanko Soba

Wanko Soba (わんこそば) is a popular variation on Japanese soba noodles originating from Morioka and Hanamaki in Iwate Prefecture, Japan. What makes Wanko Soba interesting is the way it is served: in small individual servings, one at a time, with your own personal server.

The word Wanko can be traced from Iwate Prefecture’s regional dialect which means “bowl”—specifically, a traditional small wooden Japanese soup bowl.

There are several stories and theories as to how Wanko Soba came about (although some dispute them since the term “wanko” only appeared after World War II).

 

One such story goes like this:

There was once a landowner who was celebrating a festival in his land. Over 100 villagers and other guests had to be fed soba, as was the custom. As it turned out, there were so many people while the pots the soba noodles were to be prepared in were very small. The quick solution was to spread the soba noodles around in smaller portions to ensure that there would be enough to go around for everyone.

According to another story:

One day, Nanbu Toshinao (1576–1632), a Japanese daimyo who ruled the Morioka Domain, stopped by a house in Hanamaki requesting a meal. His retainers prepared for him a local variety of soba noodles in a small soup bowl. Nanbu Toshinao thought that the food he was served was delicious and asked for more. This was said to have been the beginning of the Japanese tradition of hosts continuing to serve small individual portions of soba until the guests were satisfied.

Are you brave enough for a Wanko Soba challenge? Hanamaki and Morioka cities in Iwate offer annual Wanko Soba competitions when eating contests are also held.

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