Jūmonji Ramen (Akita Pref.)

2024-02-05 Local RamenTohoku Area

What is Jūmonji Ramen?

It is a type of ramen eaten mainly in the Jūmonji(Juumonji) area of Yokote City（横手市十文字地域）, Akita Prefecture, and is also referred to as “Jūmonji Chuka Soba(noodle; 十文字中華そば).” It is characterized by a Japanese-style soup with a light soy sauce flavor that uses dried sardines and bonito flakes for the soup stock, and thin curly noodles with a unique texture without using Kansui(lye water, brine) at all. Also, in terms of toppings, in addition to chashu, green onions, and menma, it is also characterized by the inclusion of wheat starch(麸) and kamaboko(蒲鉾,fish cake), depending on the shop.

Thin hand-rubbed noodles, light soy sauce

Akita Prefecture is located in the town of Jūmonji in the south of Akita Prefecture, and although it cannot be called a local ramen, it is a well-known type of “local ramen” (in terms of meaning, it is a type of ramen that is clearly rooted in the same type of ramen, although it has a narrower scope than “local”). It is called “Jūmonji Ramen” after the name of the town. There are 50 ramen shops in a town with a population of about 15,000.

Its characteristics include the use of thin chirichiri noodles (hand-rubbed noodles) with less kansui lye water, and a light soy sauce soup based on grilled sardines, bonito flakes, and kelp. In addition to chashu, menma, and seaweed, the toppings include wheat gluten and kamaboko fish cake (or naruto fish cake). It is said that it began in the early Showa era (1926-1945) when a ramen stall sold by a Chinese man in Jūmonji, a busy street with many people, became popular.

The three most representative shops are Marutama(マルタマ), Marutake Shokudo(丸竹食堂), and Sankaku Sobaya(三角そばや). The oldest one is “Martama”. All three are old, but “Martama” was founded in 1934, so it’s been almost 90 years. Another shop that has been around for over 70 years is Sankaku Sobaya. Although the name of the shop is Soba-ya, it is actually a ramen specialty shop, and the menu only includes regular, medium, and double Chinese noodles, and regular and medium chashu noodles. “Marutake Shokudo(丸竹食堂)” has a wide variety of menus and a spacious interior, making it a busy place on Sundays. Sankaku Sobaya and Marutake Shokudo, which have also been around for nearly 70 years, serve chilled Chinese noodles with soup(冷やし中華).

Considering the year it was founded, it may have been around the same time as Yamagata Pref., which is said to be the origin of chilled ramen, or it may be older. Although it is a small town, it may be a historic town when it comes to ramen.