So far I have been talking about food this week, so I might as well make this week a food week.
I will talk about common menu items in an udon shop today.
First of all, udon noodles are made of wheat, usually white in colour and they are not very thin or fine. They are usually boiled or steamed first and then eaten either warm (hot) with a broth or cold with sauce. In many udon shops, names in the menu are differentiated by toppings.
- かけうどん・すうどん: the simplest warm udon. Noodles are served in a warm broth with sprinkles of chopped shallots
- きつねうどん: It is a kind of かけうどん topped with flavoured thin fried tofu. The colour of fried tofu resembles the fur of a fox, hence it’s called きつね (fox)
- 月見（つきみ）うどん: It is a kind of かけうどん topped with a soft-cooked whole egg – the egg looks like the Moon, hence it’s 月見 (moon viewing)
- 山（やま）かけうどん: It is a kind of かけうどん topped with grated yam potato （山いも）. This can be served cold.
- 天（てん）ぷらうどん: It is a kind of かけうどん topped with some tempura
- とりなんば・かしわうどん: It is a kind of かけうどん topped with cooked chicken
- 肉（にく）うどん: It is a kind of かけうどん topped with cooked beef
- ざるうどん: the simplest cold udon. Noodles are served on a bamboo mat that drains the water out and you are to dip the noodles in a sauce served separately. Some places may serve 天（てん）ぷらざるうどん, which comes with some tempura.
Just in case you are wondering, tempura is deep fried seafood and/or vegetable in a light batter.
Size and texture of the noodles and the way they are eaten differ greatly from region to region, so this guide is only a very basic one. If you have a chance to be in Japan, try some yourself, you will find the kind you like!
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