In Shintoku-cho, Hokkaido, where buckwheat is a specialty, "Kanzarashi Soba" is being actively produced by exposing the buckwheat to the cold wind to bring out the flavor.
Every year at the buckwheat company in Shintoku-cho, Hokkaido, the buckwheat fruits are soaked in aside water and then exposed to the cold wind to dry them during this time of cold weather.
On the 21st, two employees pulled up a bag of 5 kg of buckwheat from a pond with a water temperature of 5 degrees Celsius one after another, and then spread it on a colander placed outside.
According to the soba company, it takes about a week to do the "cold weathering" work to remove the astringency and increase the sweetness, resulting in a tasty soba.
Atsushi Ozaki, a soba company, said, "It's been colder than last year, so I think we can serve delicious cold soba noodles. I hope everyone will enjoy it."
The work will continue until mid-March, and "Kanzarashi Soba" will be served from the 23rd at the restaurant of the soba company, limited to 20 meals a day.